Smile ID

Smile ID, formerly Smile Identity, is a KYC and biometric verification platform focused on Africa. It checks users against government ID databases and was founded in 2017.

Products The listed offerings are SmartSelfie Biometrics, direct lookups in African government ID databases (NIN, BVN, Ghana Card and others), a KYB Business Check and AML. Named customer types are crypto exchanges (Binance and Paxful), PSPs (Paystack and Flutterwave), fintechs, neobanks and iGaming operators.

Coverage Offices are in Lagos, South Africa and the United States. The company lists Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, Zambia and Cote d'Ivoire, and says it covers all 54 African countries.

Commercial model Pricing is either pay-as-you-go or an enterprise subscription; actual per-verification rates are not published.

Direct access to national identity registers, instead of document-only checks, is the main reason international payment and crypto companies entering African markets look at this vendor.