ASEAN states move to link digital identity systems across borders

ASEAN governments, working with the World Bank at a Bangkok event, drafted a cross-border roadmap for verifiable digital credentials, with Thailand leading and shared trust lists allowing credentials issued in one country to be verified in another. The same open standards are being piloted in Europe, 28 US states, India, Japan and Australia, and the stated aim is to move from proving who a person is to verifying what they are entitled to. Interoperable identity tied to finance, trade and services shows how access to economic participation could become standardised across regions, though the article presents the system as voluntary, privacy-preserving and still at pilot stage.