Israel Unveils Strategy to Expand National Digital ID to Private Sector
Israel's National Cyber Directorate has proposed expanding the national digital identification system to private entities, allowing banks and insurance firms to verify customer identities through a secure government platform alongside a new digital wallet.
Israel's National Cyber Directorate has unveiled a strategic initiative to expand the national digital identification system, allowing private sector entities such as banks, insurance companies, and telecommunications providers to verify customer identities through a centralized government platform. The proposal also includes the creation of a national digital wallet for official documents and credentials.
The existing national identification system, currently utilized for government websites and services, already registers 5.5 million citizens. According to the new strategy, this infrastructure will be extended to financial, health, and commercial sectors to streamline onboarding processes. This integration aims to eliminate the need for customers to submit physical copies or photographs of identity documents during registration, relying instead on secure governmental verification.
The strategy was formulated in collaboration with the National Digital Agency, the Population and Immigration Authority, the Budget Department at the Ministry of Finance, the Accountant General, and the Bank of Israel. It was introduced as part of National Cyber Preparedness Week. Representatives stated that the unified mechanism will provide a single, secure verification method across both public and private sectors, while maintaining separate user accounts without granting the government access to private databases.
In addition to the identification system, the initiative proposes a national identity wallet designed to store digital certificates, licenses, and official documents securely. Naama Ben-Zvi, head of the Identification and Biometric Applications Unit at the National Cyber Directorate, emphasized that national identification serves as essential infrastructure for an advanced digital economy. The directorate has published a draft of the strategy for public commentary, following which the plan will be submitted for government approval alongside a five-year implementation framework.
