Identy.io Announces Strategic Expansion into Nigeria, Kenya

By Adedapo Adesanya

A global biometric authentication technology company specialising in secure, mobile-first identity verification, Identy.io, has announced its expansion plans into Africa with a pilot focus on Nigeria and Kenya.

The firm disclosed in a statement that it has appointed a regional leadership team to engage with key stakeholders across the government, financial services, telecommunications, and other regulated sectors in both countries.

These include Mr Olajide Olasiyan-Ola as Regional Head for West Africa, Mr Edwin Mutisya as the Senior Sales Manager, and Mr Matus Kapusta as the Product Director for Identy.io’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) product portfolios.

Amid the need for effective identity solutions becoming increasingly urgent, countries like Kenya and Nigeria are making significant investments in public digital infrastructure by integrating identity systems with public services, financial access, and mobile connectivity as part of their broader economic development agendas. This is helping to implement national digital identity systems to improve service delivery, promote financial inclusion, and develop digital public infrastructure.

The World Bank’s ID4D data indicates that approximately 80 per cent of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa possess basic identification. However, there are significant disparities between countries, with many having coverage below 70 per cent. These gaps hinder access to essential services and economic opportunities.

With Identy.io coming into the fold, its regional leadership team will collaborate with clients across the public and private sectors to support responsible, scalable identity implementations aligned with national digital transformation priorities.

After Nigeria and Kenya, the firm plans to expand into additional African markets as part of a phased regional growth strategy.

According to Mr Antony Vendhan, Co-founder of Identy.io, “We are transforming the traditional industry model, which often relies on expensive and inflexible digital infrastructure. Instead, Identy.io adopts a software-first approach, minimising reliance on specialised biometric hardware. Our technology supports biometric capture using standard smartphones, processes identity documents, issues digital identities to individuals lacking formal identification, and facilitates large-scale biometric verification and deduplication.”0

“This innovative yet simplified approach allows our clients to reach underserved communities by providing individuals with multimodal access to secure their digital identities and explore new economic opportunities,” he stated.

As part of Identy.io’s industry validation strategy, the company’s ABIS system has completed MOSIP’s partner compliance process and is listed on the MOSIP Marketplace. This platform offers compliant technologies that governments and ecosystem partners can evaluate for MOSIP-aligned deployments. MOSIP helps governments conceive, develop, implement, and own foundational digital ID systems tailored to their unique needs.