OneID’s identity bank check tech helps make internet a safer place | City & Business | Finance

Built by Digital Identity Net U.K., which set up in 2019, OneID is its core product that, as chief executive Martin Wilson explains, “removes fiddly form filling and delays currently experienced when someone signs up to a service or buying online. People can prove who they are online easily and safely.

“It ensures their data is legitimate. We don’t see their details, banks do the verification, our technology acts as a bridge within businesses who then can quickly onboard new customers safe in the knowledge they are who they say they are. 

“This reduces the risk of fraud, protects young people with easier age verification and negates the need for manual identity checks.

“More than half of car finance deals are never completed for example. Our service is an extra tool, saving firms a lot of wasted time, easing their compliance burden and improving productivity.”

The success of bank-based digital verification in Scandinavia inspired the domestic development of OneID. Now, following partnerships and integration with major UK banks, it has the capability to verify some 40 million UK adults. 

After attracting more than £8million of private investment, the company, which has a team of 42, is at the early growth stage with its next aim a £30 million plus turnover by 2025. 

“We plan to raise another £8million in equity capital from angel investors and strategic partners over the next two years,” adds Wilson.

Creating the secure technology has been relatively straightforward with the far bigger challenge being the integration of it into partners’ digital structures, a process that has involved multiple rounds of trials and user testing.

Clients are international digital businesses and include electronic agreements operator DocuSign and e-commerce provider Shopify.

“Platforms are a big target for us as are layer businesses such as events, ticketing and sports organisations,” says Wilson. 

Joining forces with Millwall FC has put the English Football League Championship club in the tech vanguard, transforming its online offering by creating a new level of engagement with fans that makes it easier for them to buy tickets, merchandise and use the club’s services. 

“It is now much quicker for supporters,” explains Wilson. “OneID’s integration is already having an impact increasing access and traffic.”

For Steve Kavanagh, Millwall FC chief executive, “the ease with which fans can use their technology to quickly and easily register for a single sign on account, or ‘Millwall Profile’, speaks for itself.” 

With Digital Identity Net U.K. now with the validation of being a certified social benefit B Corps business, Wilson sees a big future for OneID collaborating with social media platforms to combat online abuse. 

“Our goal is to make the internet safer,” he declares.