BSP calls for wider acceptance of National ID for customer onboarding

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona, Jr. (front row, center) is joined by officials from the BSP, Philippine Statistics Authority, Department of Information and Communications Technology, National Privacy Commission, and Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs, along with resource persons from the World Bank, Korea Credit Information Services, and BSP-supervised financial institutions.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) called for wider use of the National ID in opening of financial accounts during the "National ID Forum" held on 28 July 2025 at its Head Office in Manila.

​The forum aimed to align efforts to integrate both physical and digital National IDs into customer verification processes. Its official theme was "Building Trust and Synergy in Digital Identity for an Inclusive and Secure Financial System."

BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona, Jr. underscored the importance of the initiative: “The National ID tells a powerful story of inclusion and network effects. The more people we onboard, the more valuable the National ID becomes. As its usefulness grows, so does the social good.”

“We're building a Philippines where your identity is no longer a barrier, but a bridge,” the BSP Governor added.

A key recommendation was to expand the use of Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) National ID Authentication Services (NIDAS). NIDAS enables real-time identity verification using biometric and demographic data across plastic card, printed paper, and digital formats.

The forum convened key players from BSP, PSA, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the National Privacy Commission (NPC), the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs, the World Bank, Korea Credit Information Services, and BSP-supervised financial institutions. They discussed challenges, progress, and practical experiences in adopting the ID system.

Also speaking at the event were Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and Assistant Governors Arifa A. Ala and Redentor C. Bancod.