Visa is positioning itself as a key partner for governments at any stage of their digital identity deployment. The company is actively advancing digital authentication by collaborating with the FIDO Alliance and promoting passkeys. Through Visa Payment Passkeys, a biometric-based authentication system, users can link their account credentials to their devices, allowing them to authenticate payments using the same biometrics they use to unlock their phones.
In its white paper “Digital Identity and Payments,” Visa envisions a future where digital identity credentials are seamlessly integrated into mobile devices, much like payment authentication. The company believes that its work on Payment Passkeys could create a strong connection between payments and digital identity, benefiting all stakeholders and users. This aligns with the broader trend of digital payments and identity systems converging.
Visa also highlights digital identity as a crucial driver for economic growth, emphasizing that governments should focus on digital literacy, infrastructure readiness, security frameworks, interoperability, and public trust when developing national digital identity strategies. These elements are essential for ensuring that digital identity systems are both effective and widely adopted.
In another white paper, “The Transformational Power of Digital Payments for Governments,” Visa’s executive chairman, Alfred F. Kelly, introduces the company’s commitment to the digital payment revolution. Visa asserts that digital transformation is no longer optional for the public sector—it is an urgent necessity. The company outlines five key opportunities for governments, including automating public procurement, improving commercial payments, and leveraging payments data for economic insights such as tourism recovery and urban planning.
The report also presents case studies from countries like Estonia, the UK, India, South Korea, Singapore, Poland, Brazil, Nepal, and Rwanda, demonstrating the impact of digital payments and technology-driven public services. Visa argues that digitalization enhances national competitiveness in the global economy and reinforces the need for governments to embrace technology. With its deep commitment to digital payments, Visa is positioning itself as a strategic guide for government officials worldwide, ensuring that digital transformation is both effective and beneficial for all stakeholders.