Digital IDs can connect ASEAN Mahesh Uttamchandani August 25, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/voices/digital-ids-can-connect-asean?cid=ECR_E_NewsletterWeekly_EN_EXT&deliveryName=DM288014 Imagine a Thai family driving across the border into Malaysia, where officials authenticate their mobile driving license by scanning a QR code. A Filipino engineer could upload a digital qualification with a job application in Brunei and have it verified in seconds. An Indonesian company applying for a license in Singapore could prove its registration, while its representative could prove that they are authorized to act on the company’s behalf. From Singapore to Vietnam, digital IDs are already part of daily life. The missing piece: systems that speak the same language. Cross-border jobs, trade, and investment still rely on paper, scanned documents, and manual checks. Here's what it would take — and what the region stands to gain.