This was the summary of discussions at the just concluded sixth edition of the Inside Identity Webinar Series organised by QoreID, a digital identity and consumer data analytics business, in partnership with TechCabal, an African tech media company.
Speakers at the seminar included Chief Executive Officer, Patricia Technologies, Fejiro Agbodje; CEO, Bundle, Emmanuel Babalola; CEO and General Partner, Audacity Fund, Erikan Obotetukudo; and Vice President Products and Data Strategy, QoreID, Jide Ogunjobi.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Know-Your-Customer as a Catalyst for DeFi and Web3 Adoption in Africa’, Ogunjobi said, “Trust has been established as an enabling factor that helps to build critical mass across industries. Web3 and blockchain protocols are no exemptions. There has to be a mechanism in place to ensure accountability and trust in the platforms, the protocols, the transactions, and the recipient counterparts within the system. That is why we are calling for an increased focus on KYC to fortify and deepen the trust process.”
Emphasising on the need for innovation within the service delivery processes for web and blockchain transactions, he noted that beyond enabling trust, a robust KYC protocol had the propensity to drive compliance within decentralised networks.
He said, “Just like other financial institutions, compliance is a critical factor within the Web3 and blockchain spaces. Operators and users have to abide by the rules of the geographical space within which the transactions are done whether it be trading, payments or transfers.
“That is where KYC comes in. For instance, at QoreID and VerifyMe, we have been able to deploy our solutions for a number of Web3 and blockchain companies, thereby providing them with insights on who and what their customers are. As leaders in Nigeria’s eKYC space, we continue to invest aggressively into solutions that will leverage KYC to drive growth and scalable opportunities for operators.”
In his submission, Agboje called for greater collaboration between ecosystem stakeholders, particularly across the regulator and operator divide. He believed this would address the call for sustainable regulation and safeguard the ecosystem without stifling innovation and hurting user confidence.
According to him, “The government and regulators need to ask some important questions. Ultimately, all stakeholders want the same thing: the ecosystem’s growth. So, while regulation exists to protect consumers and stimulate innovation, operators have first-hand knowledge of customers’ needs because they deal with them daily and understand their pain points. Operators should be carried along to offer meaningful insights towards developing sustainable regulation.”
Inside Identity is a quarterly thought leadership forum where identity stakeholders across Africa meet to discuss common issues of interest to advance the industry on the continent.
