International Conference on
Digital Identity, Digital Wallets & AI
Insights from the visionaries building the future of Digital Identity
23 October 2025 | Edinburgh Napier University
Our groundbreaking Conference brough together leading innovators, policymakers, and visionaries who are redefining how we think about identity, trust, and finance.
Digital Identity is no longer an emerging technology – it’s the backbone of tomorrow’s digital systems. From the EU’s revolutionary implementation of e-ID and e-IDAS2, to the UK’s plans for increased use of digital ID, we’re witnessing a shift in how trust, security, and commerce intersect. This is your exclusive opportunity to hear directly from the visionaries and technical pioneers who are architecting these transformative systems. Explore strategic roadmaps, breakthrough innovations, and gain insider access to the minds shaping the future of digital trust.
Hosted by
Sponsored by
Agenda
10:00 - 10:15
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Join us as we kick off the conference with a warm welcome from the Digital Trust Centre of Excellence Team, setting the stage for an exciting day ahead. We will also unveil the live funded Innovation Challenge Call, inviting applicants to Simplify Digital Financial Life with accelerated market access and industry support from our Challenge Sponsor Standard Life.
The Scottish Centre of Excellence in Digital Trust & DLT drives innovation – supporting enterprise and industry – with skills, research and funding to build Blockchain and Digital Trust technology ecosystems. As a leader in technology, finance and entrepreneurial ecosystems, we host open, industry-led innovation calls to run cutting-edge collaborative projects with industry and academic partners.
10:15 - 10:45
1st Keynote Talk: Identity centric Zero-Trust in the real world
This presentation explores how digital identity has evolved from a technology-focused infrastructure concern to a strategic enabler of trust in modern digital ecosystems. Against a backdrop of rising cyber security threats, will aim to outline the real-world application of identity-centric zero-trust principles.
Chris Tate, CEO, Condatis:
Chris is the CEO of Condatis, a consultancy based in Edinburgh that focuses on Identity Access Management (IAM) solutions using Microsoft Entra. He has more than 25 years of experience in technology management, working with both multinational corporations and startups. His background includes commercial and technical leadership roles at Thales, overseeing the development of LiFi modules at pureLiFi, and managing product development at Optos. Chris began his career as an officer in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy, where he served for eight years.
10:45 - 11:15
2nd Keynote Talk: From the UK Trust Framework to real-world value
Amiqus’s journey in identity verification, from UK Trust Framework Alpha to Gamma, and what’s next in the UK identity ecosystem.
Jake Bowen-Bate, Product Function Lead, Amiqus:
Jake Bowen-Bate has been building digital products as a project manager and more recently as a product manager for almost twenty years, working in digital agencies, tech startups, and global corporations. He is currently Product Lead at Amiqus, a compliance and identity scale-up headquartered in Edinburgh.
11:15 - 11:45
Panel: International Experiences and Scope for Digital ID and Digital Wallets – World, EU and UK
An expert panel exploring the strategic vision, implementation challenges, and collaborative roles of government and private sector in building ambitious digital identity infrastructure that empowers citizens and consumers.
David Kelts, Digital Identity Strategist, Decipher Identity, brings the experience of building mobile digital wallets in US states, and the challenges of adoption.
David’s goal of bringing high-trust identity into the control of every citizen started in 2013 with two US Government grants that proved that privacy and trust can be created online – and ignited the “selfie” identity verification craze. It expands today into the deployment of Mobile Identity (mDL & mID). David is a Certified Information Privacy Technologist, SOA Architect, Product Leader, and Identity go-to-market Srategist. He has 20 years in Identity, Biometrics, ID Proofing, Physical and Mobile ID Documents and a long background in software engineering and architecture.
David is an IAPP Certified Information Privacy Technologist with 20+ years in identity systems.
Rajesh Kumar, Founder and CEO, TrackGenesis, covers insights on the impact of Aadhar, India’s digital ID system, on the Indian economy.
Rajesh is a Certified Blockchain Architect with over two decades of coding experience. Alongside leading TrackGenesis, he has served as a part-time lecturer at Robert Gordon University’s School of Computing, where he taught courses on blockchain technologies.
Born and raised in India, Rajesh has experience managing business operations and engaging in government processes using Aadhaar, India’s national digital identity system. This firsthand experience gives him a practical and insightful perspective on the role of Aadhaar in shaping India’s digital economy and technological advancement.
Dia Banerji, CEO and Co-Founder, Cherpa.ai, on the role of a plural digital identity approach in citizen support and consumer choice.
Dia is an AI-native fintech reimagining how customers experience financial services. Formerly Head of Direct-to-Consumer Proposition at Standard Life (Phoenix Group), she led digital strategy for 9 million customers and £200 billion in assets, delivering large-scale transformation and customer-focused innovation. With over two decades of experience across the UK, Middle East and Asia in leadership roles at J.P. Morgan, Barclays and Société Générale, Dia brings a global perspective to the future of AI and financial inclusion. She serves as an Independent Member of the Court at Abertay University and as a member of Scotland’s Digital Trust Taskforce, shaping national innovation in digital trust and responsible AI.
Rannar Park, Head of Business Engagement, E-Estonia Briefing Centre, brings a case study in early adoption of mandatory digital ID and its economic impact
Rannar Park focuses on bringing state and private entities together to deliver citizen-centric services and future-proof governments.
11:45 - 12:10
Break
12:10 - 12:40
Building Trust in Digital ID
Join Yoti’s Group Product Manager, Em, to unpack the global digital identity landscape, the latest UK developments, and why protecting privacy is the key to lasting trust.
Emily Hyett, Group Product Manager, Yoti:
Em has over 11 years of experience in digital identity products. She leads the development of privacy-preserving digital identity products, ensuring they are safe, trusted, and aligned with regulatory and user needs. Em also works closely with governments and customers to help them understand the art of the possible.
12:40 - 13:00
Empowering Citizens: Scotland’s approach to Digital Identity
Scotland’s Chief Data Officer will talk about the goals and progress on its Digital ID programme, as well as discussing its approach to AI.
Dr Tom Wilkinson, Chief Data Officer, Digital Directorate, Scottish Government
Working for and with government organisations, at various levels and around the world, Tom has spent a decade developing and improving use of data and AI to inform policy, strategy, and operational decisions. He have extensive hands-on experience working across Data Science, Data Analysis, Data Architecture, Software Development and Data Engineering, and has provided technical advice to blue chip companies and startups as well as intergovernmental organisations. Tom’s work as a Data Scientist has let him develop tools and data architecture to link expertise, measure the quality of collaboration through network metrics, as well as helping his understanding of distributed systems – both computing and ensemble machine learning.
13:00 - 13:30
Unpacking Digital Identity: Live Industry Insights
Join Bill for an interactive deep-dive capturing real-time insights, debates, and perspectives from industry experts in the room and online. Using live polling, we’ll unpack the most pressing questions and diverse viewpoints shaping the future of digital identity today.
Prof Bill Buchanan OBE FRSE, Director, Digital Trust Centre of Excellence:
“A Serial Innovator. An Old World Breaker. A New World Creator.” Bill is a Professor of Applied Cryptography in the School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment at Edinburgh Napier University, a Fellow of the BCS, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a Principal Fellow of the HEA. He is a believer in fairness, justice, and freedom.
Bill also has a strong belief in the power of education and in supporting innovation from every angle, and he currently leads the Blockpass ID Lab and the Centre for Cybersystems and Cryptography. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to cybersecurity. Bill works in the areas of cryptography, blockchain, trust and digital identity. He has one of the most extensive cryptography sites in the World (asecuritysite.com), has published over 30 academic books and over 400 academic research papers, and his work has led to four highly successful spin-out companies. He has also received awards for excellence in knowledge transfer and teaching.
13:30 - 14:25
Lunch
14:25 - 15:10
e-ID, eIDAS 2 and the role of EBSI + EU Digital Identity and Trust Services Framework
José will discuss the European Commission’s European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) initiative, which implements today a cross-EU digital trust infrastructure that is trustworthy, privacy-preserving, and cost-efficient, enabling reliable verification of data related to natural persons, legal entities, and products.
Vicente will cover the concept of the new EU digital Identity Framework, its main pillars, the roadmap for its implementation and the potential use cases.
José Manuel Panizo Plaza, Blockchain / DLT Business Manager, European Commission:
José Manuel is the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) Team Leader at the European Commission with nearly two decades of experience in digital identity, cybersecurity, and blockchain, focusing on applying these technologies to benefit society with a strong commitment to user privacy and the public good.
Vicente Andreu Navarro, Policy Officer, European Commission:
Vicente is a Principal Administrator at the European Commission. He is in charge of the files of electronic signatures and international aspects of the EU Digital Identity Framework of the “Digital Identity and Trust” unit. This unit oversees EU policymaking around digital identities and trust services and is framed inside the Directorate of Cybersecurity and Trust of DG Communication Networks, Content and Technology of the European Commission.
Vicente qualified as a Computer Engineer at Universitat Politècnica de València and obtained a Master’s Degree and Advanced Studies Diploma in Information and Knowledge Society at Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. Before joining the European Institutions, he had developed a career in Spain as a civil servant in the information and communication technology areas, and has also taught different undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
15:10 - 15:40
Decentralised Trust for Agentic Commerce
Nick will discuss how decentralised identity, verifiable credentials, and digital wallets form the trust layer needed for safe, frictionless agentic commerce.
Nick Lambert, CEO, Dock Labs:
Nick Lambert has worked on distributed technology since 2011 and is CEO and co-founder of Dock Labs, the company behind the Decentralised Identity and Verification platform called Truvera.
15:40 - 16:10
Estonia Case Study - What happens after your state becomes 100% digital?
A year ago, Estonia became the first country in the world to digitalize 100% of its state services and yet the work is not over. From personalized healthcare to generalized AI education, this Baltic nation has no plans of slowing down. This talk will tackle trust through transparency, the moral and ethical conversations happening around digitalization and how digital identity enables greater accessibility for global communities.
Rannar Park, Head of Business Engagement, E-Estonia Briefing Centre:
Rannar focuses on bringing state and private entities together to deliver citizen-centric services and future-proof governments.
16:10 - 16:40
End note speaker: From Zero Trust to Infinite Insight - Security in the Age of AI
AI is transforming how organisations define and enforce trust. Building on these principles of Zero Trust, this session explores how intelligent systems and autonomous agents are reshaping enterprise security. Attendees will learn how to evolve from perimeter-based defences to adaptive, insight driven protection – where visibility, speed and intelligence are the new foundations of trust.
Jon Burnett, Cybersecurity Specialist GBB, Microsoft:
Jon Burnett has been working in Cyber Security for over 20 years with a number of security vendors including Microsoft and Symantec. As an Advanced Identity Specialist his focus is on helping customers get the most from Microsoft Identity solutions and empowering customers to be able to secure their environment. With extensive experience in cybersecurity, Jonathan is an expert in leveraging the Microsoft security portfolio to help organizations safeguard their environments.