Kuwait’s Vision 2035 advancing digital identity with global partnerships

Kuwait is struggling with an immense digital transition following its Vision 2035, which strives to diversify the economy and strengthen its position as a regional financial hub. A key component of this change is the emphasis on digital identity and biometric technology, which are critical for updating government services and enhancing national security.

Recently, the Ministry of Interior’s biometric fingerprinting project reached a significant milestone, with slightly over 3 million citizens and foreigners registered as part of the nationwide effort.

The companies like STC Kuwait play an important part in the country’s digital progress. As a prominent telecommunications operator, STC has expanded its services beyond traditional services to play a significant role in Kuwait’s digital transformation. These contracts improve the country’s connectivity and assist the government in achieving its broader digital goals, such as enabling the use of biometrics and AI technology across industries. As STC advances with digital vision, it contributes to the accomplishment of Vision 2035, reshaping Kuwait’s future as a technologically sophisticated and secure nation.

Kuwait’s digital transformation has been significantly supported by its collaboration with Thales, which played a critical role in supplying secure, multi-application eID cards to citizens and residents. Thales’ sophisticated smart card technology and experience in identity management have facilitated the country’s seamless move to a digital government platform.

Digital infrastructure buildup

Kuwait’s Vision 2035 aims to diversify its economic goals, reduce dependence on the oil industry, and transform the country into a regional financial and technological hub. To realize this ambition, the government is making major expenditures in information and communication technology (ICT) and digital infrastructure. Kuwait’s ICT market was valued at $22.48 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $39.83 billion by 2029, with an importance on developing a digitally empowered economy and infrastructure. This vision places a premium on telecom improvements, particularly the rollout of 5G networks, which are expected to increase connectivity, improve digital services, and promote the expansion of smart cities.

Furthermore, Vision prioritizes data privacy and security, with the Central Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) playing a crucial role in developing and implementing legislation that ensures robust data protection measures across digital platforms.

Biometric registration for citizens and expatriates

In Kuwait, the Ministry of Interior has initiated a biometric fingerprint project for nationals and expatriates’ inclusion in the country’s broader digital transformation ambitions. The project was created to improve security and update government services by demanding precise identification while accessing public and private sector services. Initially, entire citizens and inhabitants were required to register within three months. Failure to register has resulted in penalties, including the blockage of certain important services, for instance, transactions in banking services.

Currently, the project has successfully registered approximately more than 3 million people. However, hindrances continue, while over 754,000 other Kuwaitis and expatriates are yet to finish their biometric registration. The deadline for Kuwaiti citizens to comply with the requirement elapsed in September, but expats have until December 31. This effort aims not only to improve everyday services’ functionality but also to strengthen the nation’s security infrastructure by leveraging biometrics.

The biometric data obtained is linked to Kuwait’s national digital identity system.

Integration of biometrics in security and financial sectors

Kuwait’s biometric projects have significantly improved both the security and banking sectors. The Kuwait General Administration of Customs (KGAC) collaborated with a leading technology firm M2Sys to implement a multimodal biometric border control system. The country planned a multimodal biometric border control system in 2023, which incorporated facial recognition, fingerprint scanning, and iris identification for secure border management. Following the mass biometric registration campaign, the system has been active at border outlets, reaching Kuwait International airports and security centers across the country as of August 2024. This initiative intends to reduce identity fraud and simplify the immigration process effectively and tries to stop individuals who have been found guilty of forging documents from re-entering the country.

In the financial sector, biometric registration is mandatory. Following the deadline for Kuwaiti citizens to undergo biometric fingerprinting, some 60,000 people were initially unregistered, resulting in bank account suspensions. Consequently, the Kuwait Banking Association worked with the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) to freeze the accounts of defiant citizens. This biometric integration is significant for protecting financial transactions and facilitating identity verification in both sectors.

Digital identity enabling online government services

The Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) manages Kuwait’s civil ID initiative, which is another important element of the country’s digital infrastructure development. The civil ID is the cornerstone for accessing various government services, permitting nationals and expatriates to verify their identities digitally. This credential is required for a variety of administrative duties, including document registration, renewal, and verification.

Tech firm Zain’s is taking advantage of the company’s comprehensive digital transformation journey by implementing PACI’s Kuwait Mobile ID app for secure digital identity verification.This smartphone app also enables users to access government services, sign documents online, and complete transactions without the requirement for a real Civil ID card. These efforts are an important step toward modernizing Kuwait’s e-government services, improving convenience, security, and efficiency for users.

Challenges and opportunities in Kuwait’s cybersecurity landscape

Kuwait’s cybersecurity landscape faces major challenges, especially the rapid expansion of cyber-attacks and data protection concerns. Despite the establishment of the National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC) in 2022, which works with the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) to protect government networks and critical infrastructure, the country continues to struggle with a lack of comprehensive cybersecurity legislation and awareness. Kuwait is the third most targeted country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) by ransomware.  Because of this, the CAIT aims to build a national data center and digitalize more than 90 percent of government services in the next five years.

To address these concerns, Kuwait has partnered with Microsoft to implement a Zero Trust model, which aims to improve security across digital platforms. However, data localization policies, particularly for sensitive government data, create digital trade obstacles, limiting international data transfers and raising worries about third-party interference. These difficulties also provide possibilities to develop local cybersecurity infrastructure and foster technical innovation in fields such as AI, big data, and digital finance. Kuwait’s e-commerce market is rapidly expanding as a result of high internet, mobile phone, and banking penetration. Online digital payments (Knet, Apple Pay, and Google Pay) have grown nine times faster than point-of-sales transactions over the past five years.

Public-private partnerships and youth empowerment initiatives

Kuwait’s private sector is playing an important role in empowering youngsters through strategic collaborations focused on improving digital skills. The National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), tech company Zain, and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) have created a digital skills program centered on artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and big data.

Thales has been a key player in Kuwait’s digital transition, working with the PACI to establish the country’s national eID system. The integration of Gemalto’s multi-app eID cards, which use both contact and contactless smart card technologies, has enabled secure digital services in government, banking, and the private sector. These cards adhere to GCC standards and enable a wide range of electronic transactions, from eGovernment services to banking operations, hence increasing security and accessibility. Thales has also facilitated Kuwait’s infrastructure by offering experience in public key infrastructure (PKI) and secure data sharing, resulting in a strong foundation for identity management and digital signatures. Thales states in a case study that it uses a structured approach to contribute to government digital ID programs like Kuwait’s, sharing international experience and industrial know-how with public authorities. This approach addresses three main areas, securing the identity of citizens, protecting their data, and promoting an optimal framework of trust for digital exchanges to create the conditions for reliable deployment of online services.

This collaboration has streamlined governmental and commercial sector services, providing millions of Kuwaitis with easy access to e-services and making considerable contributions to the country’s Vision 2035 and digital government goals.

This year Chambers and Partners report shows that Kuwait is undergoing a digital transformation. At the forefront of this transformation is the strategic alliance between Google Cloud and the Kuwaiti government, following Vision 2035. Initiated in January 2023, the collaboration is intended to help digitize government services, secure data migration to the cloud, and the development of a national digital skills program. The cooperation, which focuses on data analysis, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, helps Kuwait diversify its economy and minimize its reliance on oil incomes. This collaboration also promotes broader societal goals, such as breakthroughs in healthcare, education, and smart city initiatives, preparing Kuwait for a sustainable, technology-driven future.

This year, the Jordan Kuwait Bank (JKB) has teamed with Intellect Global Transaction Banking (iGTB) to install its Digital Transaction Banking (DTB) technology, which would improve services for corporate and SME clients. The alliance aims to improve cash management, payments, and trade finance services. JKB will also use iGTB’s Digital Customer Experience package and mobile banking services, which are powered by the open financial platform eMACH.ai.

The push towards digital government in Kuwait began in the early 2000s. It accelerated in 2009 by introducing the Kuwait civil ID card program for ID and eGovernment services. This move followed a decision by the GCC to launch electronic ID schemes for citizens throughout the region.  In 2009, Intercede collaborated with Diyar United Company (DUC) and VeriSign to complete the Kuwait National Identity Project. The system uses Intercede’s MyID Identity and Credential Management System (IDCMS) to issue smart ID cards with biometrics to over 3 million residents and visa holders. This collaborative effort, which included HID Global, was effective in meeting the project’s tight schedule and budget.

Kuwait’s aspirations of Vision 2035 are visible as work proceeds in many fields, such as biometric and digital identity systems, that will make Kuwait a secure and technologically advanced center. Furthermore, the formation of strategic global partnerships with technology firms such as Thales, Google Cloud, and STC Kuwait serves to boost connectivity, data security, and e-services which will assist in enhancing the economic diversification and security of the country in a sustainable method.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  cybersecurity  |  digital government  |  digital identity  |  government services  |  HID  |  Intercede  |  Kuwait  |  Thales  |  Vision 2035