Sri Lanka will pilot its digital ID in-house while it looks for more money from India
Bids for the full system came in above India's grant, so the government is building a first version for public servants by the end of the year.
Sri Lanka plans to launch an in-house pilot of its Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SL-UDI) by the end of 2026, Biometric Update reported, while negotiations continue over a funding gap for the full national system.
India is funding the project with a grant of 3 billion rupees. The bids from shortlisted Indian companies for the role of master systems integrator, which would build the full platform, came in above that amount, delaying procurement. Colombo has switched to a phased approach and is seeking additional money from New Delhi.
A minimum viable product first
A Ministry of Digital Economy official told Biometric Update that an in-house minimum viable product is expected by the end of 2026, first for government employees. The existing grant should cover that first phase; roughly another 3 billion rupees is expected to be needed for the next stage.
The system is built on MOSIP, the open-source identity platform developed at the International Institute of Information Technology in Bangalore. The Department for Registration of Persons will own and oversee it, with local bodies operating it. The design is meant to keep control of identity data and infrastructure inside Sri Lanka while using Indian funding and expertise.
The government eventually plans to move roughly 17 million holders of the current National Identity Card to the new system.
Starting with civil servants is a common way to test enrolment, authentication and help desks on a population the state can reach easily. The harder questions, about coverage of rural and older citizens and the services that will rely on the new identity, come with the national rollout, and that still depends on closing the funding gap.
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