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Today, the entire world is struggling with the outbreak of COVID-19. From the closure of business operations and manufacturing to forcing people to stay home, the pandemic has impacted all aspects of humans lives. However, the outbreak is also opening the way for innovation and the opportunity to integrate tech and tech-enabled services to combat the epidemic. The crisis has given the chance to tech companies from every corner of the globe to prove their talent, resource, and solutions, not only in the fight against the virus but also for the post-pandemic period.

Digital Identity is one such technology that is increasingly using to defeat the COVID-19. Governments around the world are taking measure steps and has imposed lockdowns in their regions to prevent their citizens from the virus, while even some countries are now relieving cities from the lockdowns to keep the lives back on track. In this regard, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates called for the use of digital identity to support lockdown exit strategies using digital certificates to identify who has been tested, recovered, or been administered with any eventual vaccine.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global money laundering and terrorist financing supervisory body, is promoting the use of digital identity technology to securely enable remote financial services onboarding and transactions. The organization says it encourages the fullest use of responsible digital customer onboarding and delivery of digital financial services considering social distancing measures during the crisis.

Reportedly, the task force argues that fintech provides significant opportunities to manage some risks associated with COVID-19 and says technology should be used to the fullest extent possible. Since the pandemic has brought advantages of digital identity into sharp relief, the global standard setter for combating money laundering and terrorism financing has been pushing the issue for some time. According to reports, the organizations in November issued a guidance paper urging financial services firms to get ready for the digital ID revolution, which it claimed had reached an inflection point.

There are a majority of companies specializing in digital identity and identity management are assisting businesses, institutions and individuals to respond to the global pandemic. China, for instance, is using an identity management system for temperature checks outside of public places. Officials in the country are making use of smartphones and QR codes to detect those who are infected with the virus, and tracking their recent movements to locate others who may have been in contact with the infected person.

On the other side, San Francisco-based digital identity provider ForgeRock recently announced that it has closed US$93.5 million in Series E funding, led by Riverwood Capital, with participation from existing investors including Accel, Meritech Capital, Foundation Capital and KKR Growth. As the company’s platform intends to assist people to access the connected world safely and simply through a digital identity platform, it has closed the funding in the onset of a surge in demand for a secure platform to access cloud services. In the time of crisis, as companies turn to remote working to contain the contagious virus, the digital identity startup has seen increased demand for its services in recent weeks.

Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the value of IT and digital transformation, forcing companies worldwide to rethink their digital initiatives and expedite the transition in order to survive during not only the crisis, but also the post-crisis scenario.