The UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16 envisions universal legal identity by 2030 as part of its mandate for inclusive societies and accountable institutions. This goal is particularly crucial in Africa, where identity documents serve as the gateway to essential services—from healthcare access to banking. With only 42.6% of children in Nigeria registered at birth, an evident gap must be filled to bridge this deficit.
To address this, Smile ID—a digital identity verification and KYC compliance solution for businesses scaling across the continent—has relied on technology to get as many Africans digitally registered and verified as possible. It has now completed 200 million identity verification checks, an impressive feat in scale and speed, given that the company only crossed 100 million ID checks 11 months ago. Smile boasts an extensive clientele that cuts across the fintech and regulatory space.
The company released its State of eKYC in Nigeria Report, the first ever in the country, to commemorate this milestone, shedding light on the factors shaping Nigeria’s eKYC landscape. These include regulatory change, increased technical proficiency of ID authorities, the growth in digital payments and goods, and the availability of digital channels. The report highlights several significant developments:
- Biometric verification surged 100% between October 2022 and October 2024
- NIN-based verification increased by 80% in the same period
- The NIN database maintained a 98% average uptime, ranking among Africa’s most reliable ID databases
- A 5% increase in biometric verification rejections, indicating potential fraud attempts or improper usage
Biometric verification is reported to detect fraud four times faster than traditional methods, making it an essential feature in KYC requirements. 37% of document fraud attempts were detected due to the biometric component in Smile ID’s document
Verification solution. It has also incorporated deep-learning algorithms for facial recognition such that when used to match subjects to clear reference images, its facial recognition software achieves accuracy scores as high as 99.8% in recognising African faces across all skin tones.
“Our rapid growth from 100 million to 200 million verifications in less than a year underscores the increasing demand for secure and reliable identity verification across industries,” noted Shile Owoka, Executive Director at Smile. “Our latest eKYC report highlights the pivotal role of biometric and NIN-based verifications in fostering trust, driving financial inclusion, and enabling business growth.”
Peace Itimi, Director of Marketing, emphasised the broader impact: “Nigeria’s advancements in digital identity verification showcase the transformative impact of inclusive and innovative solutions. Our eKYC report highlights the growing trust in biometric and NIN-based verifications, empowering businesses to scale securely and efficiently. At Smile ID, we’re dedicated to sustaining this progress by delivering reliable user-centric solutions that simplify KYC processes and unlock growth opportunities across different industries.”
For comprehensive insights, the full report is available for download via this link.
About Smile ID
Smile ID is Africa’s leading digital KYC provider and was founded to solve the specific challenges faced by companies trying to onboard users in unique African conditions. They have built proprietary machine learning algorithms and a technology platform to cater for all skin tones, entry-level devices and users operating in low bandwidth environments.
Smile ID prides itself on striking the right balance between stopping fraudulent transactions and reducing onboarding friction and has enabled some of the fastest-growing businesses across Africa to onboard at scale. Their client base includes Flutterwave, Fairmoney, Binance, Uber, Bolt, Kuda Bank, Opay, Paystack, Luno, Yellowcard, and hundreds more.
Want to see how they can help your business? Speak to a Smile ID Expert Today
