Mexico is preparing to scale up a biometric version of its Unique Population Registry Code (CURP), adding biometric identifiers to a credential that already underpins most administrative processes in the country. The updated CURP keeps the familiar 18-character code but incorporates fingerprints, a facial photograph, an iris scan and an electronic signature to support stronger identity verification.

As part of a research initiative led by Reconnaissance International, a recent industry survey set out to define the elusive ‘WOW factor’ in holographic security features.

At High Security Printing™ (HSP) Asia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Authentix announced the commercial launch of PICO secure™, described as the world’s first nano-optic, plasmonic optical variable device (OVD) engineered specifically for identity documents. Building on Authentix’s established nano-optic platform, PICO secure delivers always-on structural colour and pronounced movement effects aimed at Level 1 public authentication.

The 21st High Security Printing™ Asia conference, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 1-3 December 2025, delivered the strongest identity-focused programme in the event’s history. A total of 337 delegates from 145 organisations across 51 countries, including representatives of 34 governments and central banks, met to examine how physical and digital identity systems in the region are evolving and how document design must respond to increasingly sophisticated attack vectors.

The Biometrics Institute has released a new good practice paper, ‘Biometrics and Account Recovery’, focusing on one of the weakest links in digital identity: how users regain access when authentication fails or accounts are compromised.

The year opened with a characteristically ‘British’ approach to identity: no overt national ID card, but a de facto digital identity system constructed from government platforms, KYC schemes and emerging mobile credentials.

This year, Reconnaissance completed a rebranding exercise across its newsletters. Each title now carries a strapline that states, in a few words, what it is for. For most, this was a largely descriptive exercise. For ID & Secure Document News™ (IDN) we chose something different: a line that expresses a purpose – ‘Building a secure identity community’.

The annual Regional Banknote and ID Document of the Year Awards (2 December 2025), a highlight of the High Security Printing™ (HSP) Asia conference, took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, bringing together issuing authorities, security printers and solution providers from across the region to acknowledge excellence in the industry.

From December 2025, His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) will begin issuing a fully redesigned British passport in which the most visible change is the replacement of Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Arms with the coat of arms of King Charles III on the cover and title page.

Entrust’s new ‘2026 Identity Fraud Report – The Changing Face of Fraud’ highlights how national ID cards have become the soft underbelly of global identity systems. Compared with ePassports and many driving licences, ID cards often carry fewer physical and digital security features and can be governed by less stringent issuance processes. As a result, they represent a disproportionate share of fraudulent ID documents detected in remote onboarding and KYC checks, making them a key target for organised crime.

From December 2025, His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) will begin issuing a fully redesigned British passport in which the most visible change is the replacement of Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Arms with the coat of arms of King Charles III on the cover and title page. The Home Office describes the redesign as the first ‘wholly new’ British passport configuration in five years and positions it as the most secure version of the document yet produced.

Regula has released the 7320, a portable document reader that brings many functions of a fixed border-control workstation into a handheld unit.

The Biometrics Institute has released a new good practice paper, Biometrics and Account Recovery, focusing on one of the weakest links in digital identity: how users regain access when authentication fails or accounts are compromised.

Electrically controlled reflective films, as presented by Younjung Park and Heeyeon Kim of NANOSILIKHAN Advanced Materials, have taken a class of technologies long known in smart glazing and displays and adapted it specifically for high-security identification documents.

Kyrgyzstan has begun issuing a redesigned 2025-series biometric passport and matching national ID card, introduced on 3 November. The new travel document aligns with ICAO specifications and is being produced domestically following a government modernisation drive at state printer Uchkun OJSC.

Saudi Arabia’s new Foreign Property Ownership Law, set to take effect in January 2026, represents a landmark in the Kingdom’s digital ID transformation – as it depends almost entirely on an electronic identity infrastructure for its implementation.

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), in the US, has launched Virginia Mobile ID, a smartphone-based version of the state driving licence or ID card, now available as a free app on iOS and Android.

Since 1 July, Bernd Kümmerle has been serving as Chief Executive Officer of Veridos, a global leader in secure identity solutions. With nearly 30 years of experience at Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), he brings deep industry expertise and a clear strategic vision to the role. We spoke to him about his first 100 days in office, the future of secure identity, and Veridos’ role in shaping it.

The deadline for submitting your abstract for presenting at the 2026 High Security Printing™ (HSP) EMEA conference, taking place in Rabat, Morocco from 9-11 February 2026, is fast approaching. High Security Printing™ EMEA is the leading forum for banknotes, passports, ID cards and secure documents across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Published for the Optical & Digital Document Security™ (ODDS) community, this peer-reviewed volume is a record of the 2025 conference held in Warsaw, Poland, from 16-17 September. The conference was organised by Reconnaissance International with guidance from the ODDS Technical Committee. The proceedings offer a concise, authoritative snapshot of the field, with contributions from industry, academia and government.