Across the globe, governments are adopting Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to modernise service delivery, increase efficiency, and unlock new economic value. Central to this is the Digital ID—a secure, verifiable identity platform that supports access to both public and private sector services.

For Papua New Guinea (PNG), the development of a national Digital ID system isn’t just a tech upgrade—it’s a foundational step toward inclusive growth, better governance, and stronger business performance.

From India to PNG: Scaling Efficiency

India’s Aadhaar system, now covering over 1.3 billion people, has helped reduce public subsidy fraud and improve delivery systems, generating over PGK 40 billion in cumulative government savings. But the private sector also gained—Aadhaar enabled financial institutions to reduce Know Your Customer (KYC) costs from PGK 50 per customer to less than PGK 5. Telecoms slashed SIM registration time from 3 days to under 30 minutes.

These savings translated into:

  • Lower customer acquisition costs
  • Faster time to revenue
  • Reduced fraud and identity theft losses

If PNG’s businesses, banks, telcos, and insurers achieve even half these gains, the result could be tens of millions of kina saved annually, simply through quicker, verified customer onboarding and lower manual processing overheads. Take a minute to think about what those savings could be spent on to win more customers, expand into new markets, or invest in making life better for your customers and citizens.

Closer to Home: Lessons from Georgia and Ecuador

While not geographically close, both Georgia and Ecuador have similar GDP and population sizes to PNG – making these interesting nations to run the ruler over.

  • Georgia implemented a digital ID and e-government system that allowed private businesses to integrate with government registries for identity validation. This reduced the average cost of verifying a customer’s identity by more than 60% across financial services and utilities.
  • Ecuador’s smart ID card is used by private clinics, schools, and mobile operators to instantly verify identity and eligibility—cutting down paper-based verification costs, processing times, and compliance risks.

In both countries, businesses that integrated with the national ID system gained a competitive advantage through smoother customer experiences, lower churn, and greater regulatory compliance.

What This Means for PNG’s Private Sector

Digital ID adoption in PNG will allow businesses to:

  • Automate customer onboarding via eKYC
  • Eliminate duplicate records and identity fraud
  • Reduce manual processing in customer service, HR, and payroll
  • Meet regulatory compliance at lower cost

For example:

  • A mid-sized PNG bank currently spending PGK 80 per customer on identity verification and paperwork could reduce that to PGK 10 or less with digital ID. This estimate includes the cost of manual document handling, staff time, and compliance procedures. eKYC via Digital ID enables real-time identity checks, reducing operational friction and turnaround time.
  • A telecommunications company onboarding 100,000 customers annually could save over PGK 7 million per year. This is based on current average costs of PGK 70 per new SIM registration (including ID checks, paperwork, and staff time), which could drop to PGK 10 or less with digital onboarding linked to a verified national ID.

These figures are consistent with experiences in India, Georgia, and Ecuador, where Digital ID systems significantly reduced onboarding costs, improved operational efficiency, and helped organisations comply with regulatory standards at a fraction of traditional costs.

Add to that the potential for cross-sector revenue streams through ID authentication services—and you have a clear business case.

High Impact, Low Barrier

Digital ID is infrastructure with immediate returns. It reduces friction in commerce, expands access to financial services, and lowers compliance costs—benefiting businesses of all sizes.

While India’s impact was measured in billions, and Georgia’s in hundreds of millions, PNG can achieve measurable economic value at its own scale, starting now. With focused rollout, strong governance, and integration across sectors, PNG’s Digital ID can deliver dividends—both public and private—for decades to come.

Kyudo is passionate about helping our clients to build momentum and grow. Reach out to learn more about how to carve out your competitive advantage and make the most of Digital ID for your business or department.