CASE STUDY
In the Baltic states, the push to develop a new eID solution for online banking resulted in something far more powerful: an ultra-secure, mobile-based system for authentication and digital signing that requires no special SIM card. It can be adopted by any online service provider, is free for users and naturally, has caught on like wildfire.
In 2016, tighter security regulations were forcing banks operating in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to rethink the way customers would log in and use services. The options available left much to be desired.
Nortal has been an important partner in developing the eID system based on chip cards (ID cards), SIM based Mobile-ID and the mobile application Smart-ID that is not connected to a physical chip.
Over the past decade, we have helped to build and modify existing eID solutions and integrate them to provide services. We have contributed significantly to making eID a natural part of the e-government infrastructure. Nortal supports all aspects necessary for the successful implementation of electronic identity, whether this involves eID infrastructure, trust services, digital signatures, authentication solutions, establishing policy, supporting the legal environment or nationwide eGovernance.
Thanks to its unmatched ease of adoption and use, the app was picked up at lightning speed, gaining over 1 million users in the region — more than one in six residents — within its first 18 months. That number continues to climb.
The service went far beyond its initial goal of solving a practical problem for banks, quickly growing into a popular tool for authentication and digital signature throughout the private sector. Dozens of non-banking service providers, ranging from utility companies to pet stores, are now offering their customers the advantages of Smart-ID.
Smart-ID is eIDAS compliant QSCD (Qualified Signature Creation Device), it can be used to give electronic signature equal to handwritten signature anywhere in the EU. That’s an important consideration for SK ID Solutions, which is hoping to expand it to other European countries that need a next-generation answer to their eID needs.
The rise of secure, electronic identity in recent years has boosted the power of individuals and businesses to operate in the online realm. Now, thanks to the development of Smart-ID, that power can be put into the pocket of anyone with a smartphone.
