The Government of the Republic of North Macedonia and Mastercard today unveiled plans for a range of digital solutions that will advance the country\u2019s digital economy aspirations and give citizens a new way to prove their identity when accessing government and business services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The partnership is intended to bring local digital identity and related services \u2013 like digital document signing and verification \u2013 that Macedonian citizens can use across a number of day-to-day activities. Among the first applications are electronic \u201cKnow Your Customer\u201d activities to support remote opening for new bank accounts, without visiting a branch in person, and new prepaid and postpaid mobile phone accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTechnology is changing our lives in ways we could have only dreamed just years ago,\u201d said Ajay Bhalla, president of cyber & intelligence for Mastercard. \u201cThe best solutions come by bringing together strong partners. That\u2019s why we\u2019re pleased to work with the Macedonian government to address real problems for their citizens. With this service, they can use a digital identity for public services, while maintaining control of their information with security, privacy and trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This first-of-its-kind effort will build on the recently created digital identity regulations in North Macedonia and broader European eIDAS (electronic identification, authentication and trust services) standards. Once launched, it will also enable seamless digital interactions between businesses and government agencies across the region and around the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPropelling our economy is critical. But to meet our potential, everyone must establish a digital trust service foundation,\u201d said Damjan Mancevski, minister of Information Society and Administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis partnership will provide a digital identity service that improves the everyday experience, while increasing the efficiency of our public and private services on the road to greater economic growth,\u201d said Nina Angelovska, Minister of Finance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The partnership will promote open collaboration with governments, banks, mobile network operators, universities and other partners to shape the services. In addition to the digital identity service, Mastercard will also support other e-government initiatives and promote related best practices from other geographies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Macedonian\/Mastercard digital identity service is based upon a distributed model that eliminates the need for a centralized identity database. It builds on Mastercard\u2019s consumer-centric approach outlined in a Principles of Digital Identity vision paper<\/a> that prioritizes privacy-by-design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a recent World Economic Forum white paper<\/a>, collaboration across the public and private sectors offers the potential to create new models of secure, useful digital identity that build on a commitment to the responsible handling of personal information, giving consumers control over which data is used and how it is used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Governments around the globe are already working on a wide range of digital identity initiatives, ranging from specifying standards to developing applications and infrastructures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mastercard\u2019s efforts with North Macedonia are part of a broader effort to support the transformation of how individuals, businesses and governments interact online. This initiative aligns closely with the company\u2019s partnership with the French government<\/a> to accelerate the digitization of the country\u2019s economy, along with other strategic collaborations as announced with educational and government institutions in Australia<\/a>. Further partnerships and pilots will be introduced throughout 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\nValue of Public-Private Partnerships<\/h5>\n\n\n\n