Smile ID is a leading digital identity verification and user authentication service focused on providing fast and secure KYC and document verification solutions primarily for businesses and startups in Africa.
Smile ID is a leading digital identity verification and user authentication service focused on providing fast and secure KYC and document verification solutions primarily for businesses and startups in Africa.
Identity verification software provider specializing in biometric authentication, KYC compliance, and document verification solutions.
The primary purpose of Smile ID's products is to enable businesses, especially in fintech, banking, and online sectors, to securely verify customer identities, comply with regulatory KYC requirements, and prevent fraud in their onboarding and ongoing user authentication processes.
Smile ID serves the online gaming and casino verticals by providing KYC and AML compliance verification solutions crucial for operator licensing and player identity verification.
Smile ID operates primarily on a B2B model, offering software development kits (SDKs) and no-code solutions to businesses for integration into their digital platforms.
Smile ID’s uniqueness lies in its advanced biometric technology tailored for African demographics with a 99.8% accuracy, dynamic liveness detection certified to ISO/IEC 30107-3:2023 Level 2, multi-channel verification including document cross-referencing, and optimization for low-bandwidth and budget devices.
Smile ID
The company was founded in 2017.
Smile ID is registered primarily in Nigeria, with operations and compliance aligned with several African countries including South Africa and Kenya.
Smile ID has offices in Lagos, Nigeria, and maintains a presence across multiple African countries, totaling about 10 locations.
Smile ID has been on the market for approximately 8 years as of 2025.
The company employs around 64 staff members across its regional offices, including the development team.
Smile ID's products and interfaces are available primarily in English, catering to the African market and international businesses.
Smile ID supports regional localization with multi-country document verification across over 220 countries and more than 8500 ID types, tailored to African regulatory and demographic needs.
Smile ID’s mission is to provide secure, reliable, and inclusive digital identity verification solutions to empower businesses across Africa to scale confidently with fraud prevention and regulatory compliance.
Smile ID is a privately owned company backed by several investment rounds totaling over $30 million.
Smile ID has achieved ISO/IEC 30107-3:2023 Level 2 certification for biometric liveness detection and holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II security certifications.
Smile ID participates in professional gambling and fintech industry groups focused on KYC, AML compliance, and cybersecurity, though specific association memberships are not publicly detailed.
Key milestones include surpassing 150 million identity verifications completed, launching enhanced SmartSelfie biometric features, raising over $30 million in funding, expanding product offerings with no-code tools, and acquiring ID verification service Appruve.
As of 2025, there are no publicly announced plans for an IPO; Smile ID has focused on multiple investment rounds to expand its technology and market reach.
Smile ID offers partner programs including developer-friendly SDK access and no-code solutions to facilitate easy integration for business partners and integrators.
Smile ID supports responsible gambling by enabling stringent KYC and age verification processes required to ensure player protection and compliance with gambling regulations.
No publicly available detailed environmental policy, though industry-leading software providers typically adopt energy-efficient infrastructure and cloud-based solutions to minimize environmental impact.
Smile ID provides training and documentation for SDK integration and identity verification workflows to business clients, helping ensure proper use of their verification tools.
Smile ID plans to focus on advancing biometric AI, expanding cross-border verification capabilities, improving low-bandwidth optimizations, and enhancing fraud detection with machine learning.
The company targets expansion beyond Africa into emerging markets requiring robust KYC, aiming to grow its footprint in additional African countries and potentially global markets.
Smile ID maintains specialized research and development teams focused on biometric AI, fraud detection algorithms, and continuously updating their identity verification platform.
Smile ID incorporates cutting-edge trends such as AI-powered biometric liveness detection, real-time fraud analytics, mobile-friendly interfaces, and cloud-native scalable architectures.
Smile ID supports fintech and digital startups by providing scalable KYC solutions and no-code tools that simplify identity verification implementation.
Smile ID is a market leader in African digital identity verification with over 150 million verifications completed, serving major clients in fintech, financial services, and digital platforms.
Primary competitors include South African startup iiDENTIFii, Onfido, Sumsub, and other biometric and KYC verification technology providers.
Smile ID’s competitive edge is its biometric technology tailored for African populations, wide ID document coverage, ISO-certified liveness detection, and optimized solutions for low-bandwidth environments.
Smile ID currently serves clients across Africa, including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and more than 220 countries for document verification.
Target customers include fintech firms, banks, online casinos, cryptocurrency platforms, e-commerce businesses, digital payment companies, and ride-hailing services.
Smile ID offers customizable solutions including white-label SDKs and no-code verification portals facilitating seamless brand integration.
Smile ID typically offers usage-based pricing models often tailored per client needs, including per verification transaction fees.
Smile ID markets through direct B2B engagements, developer communities, fintech and iGaming partnerships, and participation in industry events.
Smile ID relies on direct integration with business clients and partnerships with fintech platforms and digital service providers to distribute its solutions.
Not applicable; Smile ID focuses on identity verification, not on game development or game bundles.
Not applicable; the product does not provide game types but supports online gaming verticals by providing KYC solutions.
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Smile ID allows some UI customization but primarily focuses on seamless identity verification user experience.
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Smile ID supports identity verification clients in the cryptocurrency sector to reduce fraud risk through biometric and document verification.
No verified information on blockchain integration as part of the core product offering.
Smile ID provides SDKs compatible with mobile (Android/iOS) and web platforms optimized for various device types.
Smile ID offers cloud-native deployment for scalability and accessibility across geographies.
No specific public data on containerization technologies, but cloud-native deployments often leverage container orchestration such as Kubernetes.
Not publicly specified, but typical deployments use secure, scalable databases supporting identity data storage and processing.
Smile ID likely employs microservices architecture facilitating modular and scalable services, common in SaaS identity platforms.
Comprehensive APIs and SDKs are provided for easy integration into client systems.
Smile ID offers RESTful APIs for identity verification and document validation workflows.
Not publicly confirmed.
Supports standard data formats such as JSON for data exchange.
Offers real-time verification status updates to clients during onboarding.
Uses standard HTTPS and secure communication protocols.
Not explicitly stated; RESTful API is primary integration method.
Optimized for low-bandwidth environments, especially for African markets with variable connectivity.
Likely used to improve performance but no specific public details.
Not explicitly stated but cloud deployments usually leverage CDN support for faster global reach.
Cloud infrastructure typically supports load balancing for high availability.
Provides automatic scaling capabilities in cloud environments to handle variable verification loads.
Implements monitoring tools for system health and fraud detection analytics.
Expected as industry best practice, though not specifically detailed.
Built-in analytics for fraud detection, user behavior, and verification performance.
No confirmed information publicly available.
Offers sandbox testing environments for developers to integrate and test verification flows.
Supports API versioning to maintain backward compatibility during updates.
Comprehensive SDKs, APIs, and documentation available for developer use.
SDKs primarily available in JavaScript, Android (Java/Kotlin), and iOS (Swift/Objective-C).
Likely integrated into their development process, but no public details.
No publicly available details.
Not explicitly detailed in public sources.
Industry best practice suggests support, but no explicit confirmation.
Integrated monitoring for performance metrics and fraud analysis.
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Designed primarily for mobile and web platforms without heavy hardware needs.
Supports multiple client organizations via SaaS multi-tenant platform architecture.
Not publicly specified; scalable cloud infrastructure supports large concurrent user volumes.
Supports horizontal scaling via cloud architecture.
Optimized for low-latency verification especially on mobile devices and low-bandwidth connections.
Supports global distribution, focusing on Africa with verification for over 220 countries.
Cloud platform includes disaster recovery capabilities.
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Supports zero or minimal downtime updates for system stability.
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Supports cross-platform identity verification via SDKs on desktop, mobile, and tablet.
SDKs provide optimized UI components for multiple screen sizes.
Limited offline capabilities exist for mobile platforms to capture data before syncing.
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Integrates with third-party AML screening and fraud detection services.
Provides APIs to integrate with CMS and business systems.
Supports integration with payment gateways for KYC compliance.
Integrates with CRM systems to streamline customer onboarding processes.
No direct marketing tools integration publicly specified.
Not publicly detailed.
Supports business intelligence tools via data export and API access.
Integrates compliance and regulatory reporting features.
Supports user registration via digital ID document upload, selfie capture, and biometric verification.
Supports two-factor authentication as part of user authentication services.
Offers comprehensive KYC solutions including biometric, document verification, and identity authentication.
Provides automated document verification using image processing, MRZ/barcode checks, and security feature validation.
Supports age verification through official document verification.
Public information on geolocation verification is limited.
Not publicly detailed.
Not directly provided by Smile ID; these are typically operator controls.
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Includes fraud behavior monitoring for identity verification processes.
Provides real-time alerts for suspicious activity during verification.
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Supports integration with CRM systems.
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Offers multi-level technical support systems.
Primarily English support; multilingual features may be limited but common in KYC platforms.
Provides developer documentation and support resources for integration.
No public information on live video verification.
Likely part of broader fraud prevention but not detailed.
Not publicly detailed.
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Fully complies with GDPR and other regional data protection laws like POPIA and NDPC.
Supports data deletion rights in compliance with GDPR.
Provides user data export capabilities for regulatory compliance.
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Smile ID integrates AML compliance screening and transaction monitoring features.
Provides automatic transaction and identity screening.
Supports sanctions and watchlist screening integrations.
Supports automatic suspicious activity reporting.
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Supports automated report generation for regulatory purposes.
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Provides fraud detection analytics integrated with identity verification.
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Supports KYC for corporate clients and B2B setups.
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Holds ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 30107-3:2023 Level 2 certifications.
Supported and certified.
Not specifically indicated.
Fully complies with GDPR security requirements.
Supports compliance with gambling commission KYC mandates.
No public info on eCOGRA certification.
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Undergoes regular security audits.
Supports regular penetration testing.
Not publicly disclosed.
Uses data encryption at rest.
Uses data encryption in transit.
Supported for sensitive data transmissions.
Employs enterprise-grade key management solutions.
Not publicly specified.
Hosts intrusion detection systems.
Provides DDoS protection measures.
Uses firewall and web application firewall protection.
Implements rate limiting to prevent abuse.
Continuous security monitoring is in place.
Integrates with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems.
Supports automatic incident alerts.
Follows structured incident response protocols.
Maintains robust backup and disaster recovery systems.
Offers geographic redundancy for data resiliency.
Adheres to industry-standard Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO).
Implements comprehensive business continuity planning.
Uses strong access control mechanisms.
Supports role-based access control (RBAC).
Maintains detailed audit trails for all user and system actions.
Includes built-in analytics for verification metrics and fraud detection.
Supports real-time analytics dashboards for operators.
Provides operator dashboards for monitoring verification status and fraud alerts.
Offers custom reports tailored to client compliance needs.
Supports automated report generation for regulatory purposes.
Enables scheduled compliance reporting.
Supports data export in JSON, CSV, and other common formats.
Supports data mining for fraud pattern analysis.
Uses predictive analytics to detect suspicious activities.
Employs machine learning in fraud detection and biometric verification.
Applies analytics to user behavior during verification.
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Indirectly supports revenue optimization by reducing fraud and improving onboarding conversion.
Provides email, chat, and ticketing support.
Offers 24/7 technical support to enterprise clients.
Supports multi-tiered technical support structures.
Enables remote diagnostics for issue resolution.
Onsite support availability not publicly listed.
Maintains a ticketing system for issue tracking.
Provides SLAs for enterprise clients.
Offers priority support for key clients.
Provides dedicated account and support managers.
Offers support for client onboarding and migration integration.