The need for secure, trusted, and instantly verifiable identities is rapidly growing, as people, businesses, and governments conduct more of their lives and services digitally, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation in many countries. Digital identity is a form of personal identification and verification that can be authenticated through a digital channel. As ASEAN’s digital economy continues to grow (more than 400 million people are now online in the region) the ability to transact digitally will become increasingly important. The Council recognizes that many ASEAN member states have begun implementing digital identity systems, including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand1. This paper sets some context to those developments as well as some recommendations for policymakers as these schemes move forward.