The Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG) requested support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to address the lack of official identification (ID) documents among many people, a major obstacle to opening a bank account. The challenge: find a robust, sustainable digital solution that could work in remote and rural areas with no internet access or electricity. ADB provided financial support and convened technical and implementation partners to pilot a Digital Bank ID Card solution in rural Papua New Guinea.
Impact / Outcome
Over 2,500 subsistence farmers and small traders were enrolled and were able to use the Digital Bank ID Cards to immediately open a bank account. The solution was enthusiastically received by the cardholders, the microfinance institutions, and BPNG as an effective solution to the know-your-customer obstacle to financial inclusion in rural Papua New Guinea.
Funding sources
Public/Private
Key Metrics
The objective of the Digital Bank ID Card pilot project was to create a viable, innovative, convenient, and secure digital ID solution, with both technical and business feasibility,providing individuals in remote and rural areas a secure ID through biometric capture.
Operating model
Public-private partnershipYear published
23 September 2023 
Asian Development Bank