Ukrainian NBU BankID System preparing for EU recognition

Ukraine sets sail towards the integration of its NBU BankID System in the European eID ecosystem.

Jan 25, 2024

SpearIT is pleased to announce that has undertaken the preliminary conformity assessment of Ukraine's BankID national electronic identification scheme, operated by the National Bank of Ukraine, in accordance with the eIDAS Regulation (EU 910/2014). This project sets the basis for the recognition of the Ukrainian national eID scheme among EU Member States with the substantial level of assurance (LoA Substantial), allowing Ukrainian citizens to access EU services of the public sector.

The journey started in December 2023, with the consortium of the accredited Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) QMSCERT, (Greece) - SPEARIT, (Estonia, Greece) - OBSERWATORIUM.BIZ, (Poland) winning the international tender issued by DAI to assist the National Bank of Ukraine. This effort is supported by the Investment for Business Resilience Activity (IBR) of USAID (formerly, USAID Financial Sector Reform Activity). IBR aims to transform the country’s financial sector into a well-functioning and competitive market that is aligned with European Union standards and integrated into international financial systems, while directly providing financing to enterprises for sustained economic growth.

The objective of this engagement is the early detection of any inconsistencies in the organizational, procedural and implementation aspects of the NBU BankID system, thus preparing for the formal conformity assessment pursuing mutual recognition with the EU. In this context, SpearIT, having solid experience in eID projects under eIDAS Regulation, with the notification of the Cypriot National eID Scheme as the most recent example, will provide subject-matter expert services in eIDAS compliance and related areas, such as eID/AML KYC processes, electronic identity lifecycle & means management, electronic trust services, PKI and remote identity proofing.

NBU's BankID system is already available and successful at the national level, with NBU operating the central eID node with 38 Ukrainian banks participating as authoritative identity providers, 99 service providers consuming the BankID, enabling more than 30M digital identity transactions per year. Through BankID, Ukrainian citizens can easily and securely access online services provided by:

• public entities and nongovernmental organizations
• banks and other financial institutions
• commercial institutions

SpearIT is a boutique cybersecurity firm dedicated to providing cybersecurity assurance, 360-degree compliance, and subject-matter expertise, especially in areas where standardization is loose and complexity is high. With a constant involvement in the evolution of the eIDAS ecosystem, trust services, and related works, SpearIT offers full-fledged, tailor-made solutions to support and provide guidance to comply with the requirements of the eIDAS Regulation.