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Digital Identity Summit 2026: moving forward with ambition

30 October 20263 min read
Event Round-up
Digital Identity Summit 2026

techUK Welcome – Sue Daley OBE, Director of Tech & Innovation, techUK

Sue opened the Summit by describing an eventful year for digital ID in the UK. While the national ID scheme has been cancelled, she stressed that the wider infrastructure and opportunity remain: digital proof of age for alcohol sales, the GOV.UK Wallet and digital driving licence, GOV.UK One Login and a maturing version 1.0 Trust Framework. With the sector already generating around £2 billion a year, she set out techUK's view that the task is now twofold: make the most of what is already in train, from commencing the Information Gateway powers to joining up digital ID with smart data, and then agree a long-term strategy that gives industry the confidence to keep investing.

Keynote address

The keynote was held under the Chatham House Rule.

The keynote reflected on a year of rapid progress. Most provisions of the Data Use and Access Act commenced, giving digital identity a statutory footing. The 1.0 Trust Framework came into force in September, alongside a UK trust mark. New use cases opened up, including money laundering checks, right to work and right to rent, and digital proof of age for alcohol sales. Looking ahead, the focus will turn to a 2.0 Trust Framework, verifiable credentials, a machine-readable DVS register, digital proof of age across hospitality and retail, and the property sector. Information Gateway legislation is expected to be laid shortly, enabling the issuing of government credentials to private sector wallets. The overall message was clear: the foundations for digital identity are now in place, and the sector should seize the moment.

Panel 1: Digital Identity's next decade: where the sector should be in 1, 5 and 10 years, and the strategy to get there

Chaired by Max Elphick, Head of Digital Identity, techUK, with:

  • Julie Dawson, Chief Policy & Regulatory Officer, Yoti

  • Olly Culverhouse, Chief Executive Officer, Signable

  • Chris Lewis, Director – Strategic Solutions and Analytics, Synectics Solutions

  • Mike Gibbs, Head of Solutions Engineering, Okta

The panel agreed that the past year has brought more progress than any before it. In one panellist's words, the motorway has been built; the sector now needs to build the on-ramps.

The vision: Digital ID should become the default way to verify identity. Like online payments, it should be embedded, seamless and largely invisible, and it should work across borders.

Certainty to attract investment: Industry needs a clear long-term roadmap, stability across political cycles, and clarity that government will not compete with the market. That includes a clear timetable for the implementation of the Information Gateway powers and for which regulated sectors will open up when.

Joined-up government: New policies that involve verifying individuals, such as online scams measures and Companies House checks, should consistently draw on the DVS Trust Framework. A cross-government identity board was suggested to drive this.

Use cases to move the needle: These included property, financial services (AML and KYC), right to work and HR, gambling, and proof of age, which will be many people's first everyday experience of digital ID.

Fraud and agentic AI: Certified services are showing strong fraud resistance, but risks will grow as digital IDs become more useful. As AI agents start acting for people, panellists called for agents to be identifiable, tied to an accountable human owner, and governed by clear guardrails. They also called for identity experts to have a seat at the table in AI governance discussions.

Naming: Most panellists saw little need to rebrand digital identity, preferring to focus on outcomes and use cases people value.

Questions from the audience covered future business models, international recognition (particularly with the EU's eIDAS), and how to encourage the FCA to reflect the DVS Trust Framework in its guidance.

Panel 2: From vision to roadmap: what government and industry need to do now to accelerate adoption

Chaired by Sue Daley OBE, Director of Tech & Innovation, techUK, with:

  • Adrian Field, Director of Market Development, OneID

  • Rob Jones, Senior Product Manager, Lloyds Bank

  • Agnieszka Scott, Head of Smart Data, BIST

  • Liz Ridler, Deputy Director for Strategy & Engagement, GDS

  • Joni Khattar, Director of Product, Sage

The second panel turned from vision to delivery. It focused on the initiatives already in motion and the practical steps government and industry can take together now.

A long-term, joined-up strategy: Digital infrastructure should outlast changes of government. Panellists called for one trust framework across the public and private sectors, aligned with the UK's wider industrial strategy and international frameworks such as eIDAS.

Building on strong foundations: GOV.UK One Login is now used by more than 250 central government services. The digital driving licence in the GOV.UK Wallet is expected to be a catalyst for wider adoption, with government acting as an enabler of a market-led ecosystem.

Fitting the building blocks together: Many components now exist across government and the DVS sector, but they don't yet connect. Commencing the Information Gateway powers was seen as key to letting trusted data flow securely between the public and private sectors.

Corporate digital ID: Businesses are tired of verifying themselves again and again. Panellists called for a single business identifier, a clear rulebook and an accountable owner in government. They also stressed linking director verification with the DVS ecosystem to close fraud gaps.

Smart data: Digital ID was described as an essential enabler of smart data schemes. The ambition is for five schemes by 2030 and more than 20 by 2035, with home buying as a prime example of where verifying once could remove significant friction.

Earning public trust: Trust comes from usefulness, choice and control: people need to be able to manage and revoke what they share, and to genuinely opt out. Panellists urged the sector to back a few priority use cases, run rapid pilots, and communicate progress more clearly to the public.

What's next

The foundations are in place, but there is more to do. The insights from the Summit will feed into techUK's work going forward. To get involved, contact Max Elphick, Head of Digital Identity, techUK.