Fanny Lamp

By October 2025 all companies must adhere to the most recent ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard. Previously ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certified companies are required to transition to the newer version of the standard within three years after the issuance of the 2022 version. 

Veriff decided to tackle this challenge ahead of time and started preparing for the transition audit already in 2023. The process of revisiting and updating all internal documentation, policies, and procedures, a preliminary requirement for the audit, helped to portray a compound picture of the company’s current security state before the audit.

Veriff is the first to obtain the latest ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification

We are really excited to announce that Veriff is among the very first identity verification (IDV) service providers to obtain the latest ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification. Veriff successfully conducted the audit is early March this year. 

We're excited to announce that Veriff is among the very first IDV service providers to obtain the latest ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification.

Veriff Obtains ISO/IEC 27001 Certification | Veriff.com

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Veriff obtains the latest ISO/IEC 27001 certification

Veriff

Identity verification

Karita Sall

Veriff launches enhanced identity verification capabilities tailored specifically for the video gaming industry. The offering streamlines the identity verification process for gamers, while helping gaming platforms safeguard their users by ensuring that players are only able to access age-appropriate content.

Gaming

We are excited to announce the release of enhanced identity verification capabilities tailored specifically for the video gaming industry. 

Veriff's enhanced IDV capabilities tailored for the video gaming industry. The verification process helps gaming platforms safeguard their users.

Veriff Unveils Video Gaming-Focused IDV Offering | Veriff.com

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Veriff Unveils Video Gaming-Focused Identity Verification Offering

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Chris Hooper

A free-flowing economy needs money to be readily available. Consumers with access to their money have more choices, more financial freedom and are more likely to make impulse or advertising-inspired purchases. Currently, over 1.2 million Britons and 24.2 million US citizens are unbanked, meaning they don’t have access to bank accounts, debit cards and other everyday financial products. For Britons alone, the personal cost is an estimated £485 each per year, translating into a significant shortfall at the tills. 

If there is one thing that defines this issue, it’s how long it has in fact been a problem. There are certain demographics that, for one reason or another, could not be easily screened for current account services, and were for many years unable to get a bank account. 

Traditionally, the unemployed, those with bad credit history, or people with no fixed abode suffered from a serious lack of options when it came to banking services and financial products. 

Banks blamed the inability to screen certain people for accounts, so brought in the solution of basic bank accounts. With the advent of the electronic debit systems such as Visa Electron and Switch’s Solo, these basic bank accounts soon came with debit cards and basic deposit and withdrawal functionality. 

That said, there is still an issue. Migrants, homeless people, and ex-offenders, both in the UK and US, still have issues when trying to access basic banking. As mentioned above, there are still 25.2 million unbanked citizens within the UK and US at the date of the most recent reports. 

What can banks and governments do to help?

Due to the strict laws and regulations surrounding banking in many countries, traditional banks are very much at the mercy of local laws within the countries they’re operating. But there are steps financial institutions can take to meet governments halfway. 

Having a secure and trustworthy verification process can mitigate much of the red tape handed down from the government. And banks seem to be taking identity verification (IDV) seriously, and are less likely to fall foul of heavy sanctions and restrictions from nervous, cautious, or heavy-handed governments. 

Governments, however, are not without their own obligations. This is unfortunately where British and US banks suffer, as these countries are yet to implement compulsory ID cards that have been seen around Europe to significantly reduce fraud and identity theft. 

Therefore, the issuing of official documents for those entering these countries as migrants, or even for citizens that have neither travelled or passed a driving test, is seen as an essential step. There are currently many people in the UK alone who do not have any ID for this very reason. 

Banks must also step up and work flexibly with governments on accepting documents that might be issued. Better communication between databases would also see an increase in the number of individuals that could be trusted, based upon information collected about income, assets, and employment status. 

Thriving economies need people who can spend their money easily

The individual cost of being unbanked has already been touched upon above, but what about that of the wider economy? It has been long accepted that consumers are more likely to spend if the journey from inception to purchase is made as smooth as possible. Retailers and service providers can only take this so far, and always with the assumption that the customer themselves has instant access to their funds. 

The negative effect on a country’s economy from having that journey interrupted is often significant, and the risks normally associated with granting access to financial products to higher-risk individuals are potentially far less serious. Coupled with the availability of trusted third-party IDV providers like Veriff, the resulting damage to the economy from lack of access to cash far outweighs any potential risk burden for banks and governments alike. 

How to mitigate the risks and introduce a standard

The greatest challenge to new and existing financial service providers is the lack of a universal, international system for ID verification. Especially in countries without a standard national ID system, verifying customers and assessing risks have required a great deal of resources and manpower.

The UK and US often rely on crude methods such as providing proof of address using old bank statements or utility bills, or even accepting testimonials from family doctors, teachers, librarians (yes, really) and other ‘pillars of the community’ as ID verification for those without a passport or driving licence – all far from secure and based on tired stereotypes of who can and can’t be trusted. Functional fifty years ago maybe, but not appropriate for a post-millennial world, and certainly not suitable for cryptocurrencies.

Using a tool such as Veriff creates a level playing field, and allows for a secure, trusted, and tamper-free identity check. Even without the digital security that our checks include, using a third-party has always been safer. Our 95% first-time success rate, with checks taking from as little as a few seconds through an integrated end-to-end verification service, provides the game-changing universal IDV banks have been after some time.

Compatible with today’s banks, and crypto-ready

Having struggled to be seen as trustworthy, cryptocurrencies have gained some bad press. Lack of consumer understanding is usually the cause, but the anonymous nature of crypto hasn’t helped it disassociate with the murky world of fraud and money laundering. 

Companies involved with crypto are now acutely aware of the need to verify and screen their customers to be taken seriously in terms of security and trustworthiness. Licences and compliance for companies incorporating crypto into their consumer products demands a diligent approach to KYC (Know Your Customer) practices; licences are easily lost should these standards slip.

Traditional and crypto-based businesses entering the financial services markets today know the importance of rapid growth and scaling. Tough competition and an increasingly crowded market put extra pressure to onboard clients swiftly and with minimum effort. Veriff’s solution helps with conversion rates, allows for simplicity, and gets your product or service in front of as many clients as possible.

Naturally, a more efficient onboarding process may bring its own challenges. Higher volumes of sign-ups will inevitably see more cases of attempted fraud. Using a universal, trusted verification system will weed-out the fraudulent applications behind the scenes, whilst allowing valuable, trustworthy new sign-ups to pass through the process without delay – especially well-suited to crypto-based businesses.

A free-flowing economy needs money to be readily available. Consumers with access to their money have more choices and more financial freedom. But with millions still unbanked, could Veriff step in to help get the money moving?

Education

With millions of people around the world unbanked, could Veriff be a part of a wider solution to help our economy reach people who've never had access before?

How ID Verification can be the Game Changer

ID Verification

An identity document is a very valuable document that is used to prove a person’s identity. They can take make forms – from ID cards, to driver’s licenses, to passports and digital IDs – and it is crucial that each one is unique and has specific features that allow it to be verified. 

The unique features of many identity documents make it very hard for criminals to create fraudulent copies in order to steal someone’s identity or carry out unlawful activity. The rarer an identity document is, the better it is at protecting its holder. 

Here at Veriff we make it our business to be able to verify real identity documents and part of this is creating a robust system that allows us to recognize and process genuine documents – whether they are digital or otherwise. 

These days, digital identification is usually a critical part of identity verification, and many paper identity documents also have a digital element to them (like biometrics chips in passports) a digital counterpart, or a corresponding ID number that can be used online to access a range of services. 

Each country tends to have a list of ‘state-approved’ identity documents that are rare, unique and protected enough to be trusted by financial institutions and when carrying out sensitive activity. 

For example, in the UK, the list of primary identity credentials comprises of a driving license photo card, a valid passport, a birth certificate, a biometric residence permit and an adoption certificate. In most cases, a person will need to be able to produce one of these verified and unique identity documents in order to do things like open a bank account, apply for a mortgage or go on holiday. 

Some identity documents around the world are harder to obtain than others. For example, applicants have to complete a first aid course before they are allowed to get a Hungarian driving license; Finnish drivers have to complete two years of intense training before they can get a driving license and, up until 2002, women in Lithuania had to undergo a gynaecological examination before they could get a driving license!

So, what are some of the most rare, hard to get and unique identity documents in the world?

Indian biometric ID documents certainly aren’t rare, as there are more than a billion now in existence for Indian citizens, but the system is certainly unique. 

When it was first announced, many people thought that the Indian Government’s plan to get biometric data – fingerprint and iris scans – of a billion people was far too complex and thus, impossible. However, they have proved the naysayers wrong.

The system is called ‘Aadhaar’, which means ‘foundation’ and it certainly is the foundation for a very robust digital system that helps to tackle benefit fraud. It is now regularly described as the largest and most sophisticated ID database in the world".

It is thought that 90% of Indians are now registered on the system and data has been collected through a variety of means such as in schools, hospitals, childcare centers and special camps.

Each citizen’s Aadhaar, or Unique Identification Number, is theirs for life and will remain part of their national identity document forever. It has now become nearly impossible to do anything without it such as registering to vote, paying taxes, getting a driver’s license, opening a bank account or filing a tax return. 

We’re sure you agree that the Indian identity document is one of the most unique and robust out there!

Estonia is considered by many to have one of the most sophisticated and highly developed national ID systems in the world. Not only does it provide a legal photo ID for the holder, but it also provides access to all of Estonia’s secure e-services.

The cards were first introduced in 2002, with the latest version of the cards were introduced in December 2018 and the newest system took 18 months of preparation. Experts from across the country were consulted during the process, including Estonian Forensic Science Institute and Enterprise Estonia. 

The cards themselves feature a color photo, a transparent window and an invisible secondary photograph that only appears when viewed at a certain angle. They also feature a QR code that makes it even easier to check that they are valid. 

As identity documents go, the Estonian National ID card is pretty special and unique, and it has even received an ID document award that recognizes outstanding achievement and technical sophistication of a document. 

Now that’s an accolade that every ID document surely dreams of!

Our next contender in our shortlist for the ‘most rare, hard to get and unique identity document in the world’ is the passport given to certain members of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Malta is a Mediterranean sovereignty that was recognized by Pope Paschal in 1113. It is also home to the world’s rarest passport – the diplomatic passport.

At last count, only 500 of these diplomatic passports were in circulation. They are only granted to “the members of the Sovereign Council (the government), to heads and members of its Diplomatic Missions (as well as their consort and minor children), and – with very few exceptions – to senior figures in charge of a special missions within the Order of Malta.”

The Order of Malta itself is made up of approximately 13,500 knights, dames, and chaplains along with 80,000 permanent volunteers and 25,000 employees, so it shows how rare the diplomatic passport is, even amongst this distinctive crowd. 

The passport isn’t just a coveted identity document, it is also protected by robust biometric data and is a useful travel document as well – The Sovereign Order of Malta has diplomatic relations with 106 states meaning it can be used to gain entry into all of those countries.  

We all know that we need authorization to travel from one country to another, and authorization comes in the form of a passport. 

Passports are official documents issued by governments that bear an individual’s likeness in the form of a photo, as well as other personal information and sometimes even biometric data. Specifically, they serve as an authentication of a person’s unique identity. 

Every country’s passport is unique and special in some way. They come in different colors and textures, containing differing content, and are considered to have varying levels of power depending on how many countries they allow the carrier to enter. 

So, how do countries make their passports unique? Some do it through sophisticated design and others through electronic tags. These designs not only make the passports aesthetically pleasing, but they also make them much harder to replicate and forge. 

Two of the world’s most unique passports are as follows:

Although the Canadian passport looks rather ordinary at first glance with its navy-blue cover and coat of arms, its pages hold a secret. In order to make it a more robust and verifiable identity document, it has an extremely unique design that includes important Canadian historical figures and buildings and symbols. When seen under a black light, the artwork becomes illuminated and its national icons like Niagara Falls, parliament hill, and maple leaves glow in a myriad of colors.

The Australian passport is another one that looks plain from the outside but provides a treat to the eyes once opened. Its pages pay tribute to the country’s unique biology and landscape, hidden security marks are featured on many of the pages and there is even a magical floating kangaroo which is extremely difficult to forge. 

ID documents come in numerous shapes, sizes and forms, and at Veriff we can already verify over 8000 of them. So we decided to take a look at some of the most unique documents out there.

The Most Unique Identity Documents In The World?

Fraud Prevention

Veriff pledges to support nonprofits and foundations amidst the unique challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has brought upon us by donating 1 million free identity verifications. Face to face interaction is currently limited to an absolute minimum, yet identity verification is more important than ever before. The solution is reliable and secure remote identity verification at scale.  

According to Kaarel Kotkas, Veriff founder and CEO, the demand for remote verifications has significantly increased over the last couple of weeks. “We decided to help nonprofits and foundations that could benefit from our technology as they are working hard despite the challenges presented by the pandemic and finding solutions to put a stop to it. We're focusing on solutions and making different services accessible from distance. We are a force of good and would like to make a difference.”

Potential beneficiaries of free verifications range from universities who need to verify people taking exams to marketplaces that have volunteers who help people in need and to registries that could tackle fake accounts and set up reliable databases about people in quarantine. But also, digital health care service providers, organisations fighting fake news and beyond.  

The 1 million free verifications program for nonprofits and foundations runs until the end of June.

Veriff is donating 1 million identity verifications to non-profits and foundations across the globe in this time of uncertainty.

Veriff donates 1 million ID verifications to nonprofits and foundations across the globe. 

Our Identity Verification News section brings you the latest insight into customer Identity Verification, enabling you to onboard more customers in a safe and secure way.

Explore Identity Verification News and be updated. Join us for valuable news and stay ahead in the IDV's industry. Learn more with Veriff.

Identity Verification News

Latest Resources

Veriff obtains the latest ISO/IEC 27001 certification

Veriff Unveils Video Gaming-Focused Identity Verification Offering

How ID Verification can be the Game Changer

The Most Unique Identity Documents In The World?

Veriff donates 1 million verifications

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Identity Verification News

Latest Resources

Veriff obtains the latest ISO/IEC 27001 certification

Veriff Unveils Video Gaming-Focused Identity Verification Offering

How ID Verification can be the Game Changer

The Most Unique Identity Documents In The World?

Veriff donates 1 million verifications

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