“Visitor ID” has been approved to streamline account opening at banks across Saudi Arabia, in line with other rules for having a banking presence. The approved identification document is issued by the Ministry of the Interior and can be verified via authorised digital platforms.
In addition to securing onboarding, banks across the region will expand their customer base to provide accounts for tourists and business people as the Kingdom attracts boosted tourism.
Saudi Central Bank also clarified that this update to the rules is part of a periodic review accounting for regulatory advancements for operating bank accounts. More customers will experience financial inclusion and independence across Saudi with banks increasing their customer enrollment.
The news that the UK government and law enforcement is poised to roll out live facial recognition (LFR) across multiple police forces highlights precisely why Identity Week Europe 2026 is so timely and important. As biometric technologies enter the mainstream of law enforcement, questions around identity, consent, bias, accountability, and legal oversight become urgent. The real world tension between friction and risk is encapsulated in Identity Week Europe’s sessions including “Biometrics at the border”, “Biometric applications”, and “Beyond the face, finger, and iris”.
