Norway BankID to go biometric, international with OneSpan integrations

Norway’s highly successful BankID system is becoming a de facto digital ID. Its new app replaces the mobile web interface. BankID works with all of Norway’s banks, but the legacy app is only compatible with some banks. The new app integrates additional OneSpan security features for digital transactions to help it roll out to all banks and introduce biometric authentication.

The partnership will also prepare the digital ID for international use in line with the European Union’s eIDAS digital ID plans. While Norway is not a member of the EU, it is part of the EEA, the EFTA and Schengen.

OneSpan has announced an expansion of its Cloud Authentication service with BankID aimed at providing high-assurance security and helping Norwegian banks meet compliance standards within their critical national infrastructure.

BankID is issued through more than 90 banks and 9,000 merchants and is currently used by more than 4.3 million Norwegians (of a population of around 5.5 million).

The digital ID was first launched in 2004 and OneSpan integrations began in September 2021. OneSpan features currently available include mobile identity provisioning, user authentication, transaction security, and digital signing.

“BankID is, and will continue to remain, a central part of our users’ daily lives,” explains Jan Bjerved, head of Norway’s BankID.

“We are strong believers in creating magic for the users in terms of experience, with as little friction as possible and users feeling safe and secure when using our services. Our trust in OneSpan is based on their proven solutions that ensure we provide the highest level of security to our entire population.”

Further, the executive says the company is working on a new version of the BankID app, which will also support biometric authentication.

“The new app will allow better communication with the users, and the ambition is to develop the app to become a digital identity wallet that offers a range of value-adding services in the future,” Bjerved adds.

For context, this is not the first time Bjerved teases the use of biometric technologies for authenticating BankID customers. However, back in May, the digital ID expert suggested that the digital ID authentication platform BankID may be replaced with new apps, while the latest announcement by the company suggests a new version of the BankID app instead.

OneSpan’s CEO, Matthew Moynahan, echoes Bjerved’s point about digital ID, saying the world needs security-infused workflows native to digital experiences capable of enhancing the customer experience and guaranteeing the integrity of people, data, transactions, and documentation.

“In a world where the highest levels of assurance are required to establish users’ identities, our partnership with BankID lays the foundation for the future of secure digital identity platforms and unlocks a new world of experiences that can now include cross-border transactions,” Moynahan concludes.

The renewed partnership with BankID comes weeks after OneSpan confirmed it would be a Silver Sponsor for the upcoming Identity Trust Conference, taking place in London on 29 September 2022. Biometric Update is a media partner of the conference, and reporter Frank Hersey, the producer of the new ID16.9 Podcast, will moderate two of the conference’s panels focusing on digital ID interoperability.