News
New guidance on using digital ID for money laundering checks
12 March 2026
The government has released new guidance on the use of digital ID verification. This aims to build trust in reliable digital verification services and streamline due diligence collection. Most importantly, firms can check the reliability of digital ID by checking the digital verification services (DVS) register.
The guidance has been created to help organisations covered by the Money Laundering Regulations understand:
- what a digital identity is and how it can be used
- what the trust framework is, and what it means to be certified against the trust framework
- how certified and registered DVS can support due diligence that businesses covered by the Money Laundering Regulations need to do on their customers
- what responsibilities regulated entities keep when they use DVS. This new guidance is official Government guidance for the purposes of compliance with the Money Laundering Regulations.
Some firms already use digital journeys to onboard customers. Consider whether digital ID services would help your firm and clients, and bear in mind regulation 19(4)(c) when adopting new technologies and ways of working.