Big banks back ID drive

HOME AFFAIRS: WILL SCALE BRANCHES TO 1000

- Liesl Peyper

Three of South Africa's largest banks - Capitec, First National Bank (FNB) and Standard Bank - have joined forces with the department of home affairs (DHA) to roll out smart ID and passport services more widely at physical branches and through digital platforms.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says the initiative will scale the existing bank partnership from 30 branches across five banks, to 1000 branches by 2029, with services also set to become available via banking apps.

The expanded programme builds on a decade-old collaboration between the DHA and selected banks, but will replace the branch-only model with a blended physical and digital approach.

Participating banks

So far, Capitec, FNB and Standard have committed to the collaboration.

Capitec will begin offering the service in 10 branches from October, with plans to reach 100 by early 2026. It will initially focus on areas with little or no DHA presence.