ATB Ventures’ digital trust platform implemented by Government of Alberta

ATB Ventures’ digital trust platform Oliu has partnered with the Government of Alberta in Canada, providing identity verification capabilities for Albertans with an Alberta.ca account.

Organisations that use the Oliu digital trust platform will be able to onboard those customers with a verified Alberta.ca account more quickly.

The way it works is that customers who choose this method of identity verification when opening a new account at an organisation that has implemented the Oliu platform will be prompted to sign into their existing Government of Alberta account and, in doing so, their verified status is logged by the new service provider without copying the user’s personal information.

“This project empowers Albertans to choose how they want to identify themselves when accessing online services,” said Nate Glubish, Minister of Technology and Innovation.

“It’s a great show of confidence that ATB is taking advantage of the secure Alberta.ca Account to deliver value to its customers.”

The Alberta.ca account was first introduced in 2015, to those with a valid email address, with verified accounts made available in 2017 to residents with a valid driver’s licence or identification card issued by the province, and have helped residents access online government services.

There are now in excess of 3.5 million active Alberta.ca accounts, 2.1 million verified accounts, and more than one million actively-used accounts.

ATB Ventures is the research and innovation arm of Albert-based financial institution ATB Financial.

Oliu is built on open standards, offering real-time identity verification, as well as increased control over personal identity data.

Dan Hugo, chief financial and strategy officer at ATB Financial, said the initiative aims to deliver “a safer and more efficient online environment for Albertans”.

He added: “Enabling Albertans to leverage their verified Alberta.ca Account for secure identity verification, enhances digital access while prioritising their privacy.”

At the start of the year, ATB Ventures unveiled a new partnership that will see Oliu integrate with Flinks’ data connectivity platform to enable its customers within financial services to offer their end users digital ID verification using bank connectivity.