PSA integrates Nat’l ID with USSC

THE Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) or National ID is now integrated with Universal Storefront Services Corp. (USSC), aimed at securing identity verification for financial transactions such as remittances and bills payments.

In a statement on Jan. 16, the Philippine Statistics Agency (PSA) said it integrated the National ID with financial services provider USSC to boost financial inclusion.

“The integration allows the USSC to utilize the authentication services of the National ID to verify identity of clients availing financial services such as remittances, micro-insurance, bills payment, digital banking, and distribution of ayuda or social protection benefits,” it said.

USSC adds to the financial institutions already integrated with the National ID, such as HelloMoney, GCash, OwnBank, the Rural Bank of Cavite City, Inc., Salmon of Sunprime Finance, Inc., and Wise.

Jose Xavier B. Gonzales, president and chief executive officer of USSC, said the digital transparency anchored on the National ID would allow more accurate targeting of beneficiaries, minimize leakages, and strengthen confidence in subsidy distribution.

“We laud what you have done [with the National ID system]. We’d like to take [digitalization even further] so that you won’t need IDs [in transactions],” he said.
“You can walk into our store [and] do biometric [verification]. We can do e-KYC (Know Your Customer) for you and you can receive whatever you need to receive.” — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante