- Digital address verification service will enable organisations to verify customer names and address’ against ESB Networks’ database without exposing or exchanging personal information
- The pilot has been selected by the Central Bank for its Innovation Sandbox Programme which focuses on combating financial crime through technological innovation.
Dublin, 13 June 2025
ESB Networks has launched Ireland’s first fully digital address verification service, enabling organisations to verify names and addresses against its authoritative database and eliminating the need for customers to surrender personal documents. The solution addresses the need for accurate and secure address verification in line with regulatory compliance, GDPR and fraud prevention.
Pat Eccles from ESB Networks, commented: "At ESB Networks, we are committed to empowering customers to assert their identity with confidence and privacy. Through our collaboration with Sedicii, we've harnessed innovative zero-knowledge proof technology to deliver a groundbreaking service that lets people prove where they live without ever exposing personal details. This is a major step forward for both customers and the organisations that serve them."
Developed in partnership with Sedicii,a specialist in secure data verification and identity authentication solutions, the pilot was recently introduced in the pensions, banking, and government services sectors.
Rob Leslie, CEO of Sedicii, said: "At a time when AI is enabling a tidal wave of high-quality fake documents that is driving increases in criminal activity, everything we once took for granted as genuine must now be verified with an authority. ESB Networks is an authority for name and address in Ireland and has provisioned a fully digital, no-friction service that all financial institutions in Ireland can avail of to verify a person lives where they claim to live. It’s in production, it’s live, and it’s ready to use."
The Central Bank of Ireland has selected the service for its Innovation Sandbox Programme, which focuses on combating financial crime through technological innovation. Permanent TSB (PTSB), is a participant in this programme and is working with Sedicii to pilot this service. Steuart Alexander, Sandbox Programme Manager for the Central Bank of Ireland, said: "Innovation that strengthens the integrity of financial services while protecting customer privacy is exactly what the Innovation Sandbox Programme is designed to support. This collaboration between Sedicii, PTSB, and ESB Networks demonstrates how privacy-enhancing technologies can play a transformative role in the fight against fraud."
Stephen Moran, Head of Digital Ventures and Partnerships at PTSB, commented: "Effective fraud prevention today goes beyond traditional KYC measures — it demands trusted, real-time validation methods. A solution that enables address verification at the source, such as now offered by ESB Networks and Sedicii, safeguards customer privacy and data and contributes to a more secure and trustworthy financial system."
The service uses privacy-enhancing technologies, including zero-knowledge proof methods, ensuring that personal data remains private while still asserting the customer’s identity with complete accuracy.
Ends/