%202026-03-17-6.png)
The digitalization of the financial system has accelerated rapidly in recent years. Mobile account opening, digital payments, and fintech innovation have transformed the relationship between banks and customers. And this trend is expected to continue expanding: a study by Juniper Research estimates that morethan 53% of the adult population in emerging markets will use mobile money services by 2030, representing approximately 2.2 billion users.
However, this same transformation has also expanded the attack surface for fraud and identity theft. In this context, mobile identity APIs (Mobile ID APIs) emerge as a key tool to strengthen security while simplifying the digital experience in the banking sector.
Mobile identity APIs are technological interfaces that allow banks and enterprises to verify information linked to a phone number using data from mobile network operators.
Through these APIs, an application can confirm in real time whether a phone number is associated with the device connecting to the network, whether the SIM card has recently been changed, or whether the user’s data matches the operator’s records.
Unlike traditional methods based on SMS codes or manual forms, these verifications are performed directly against mobile network infrastructure, which makes them highly reliable signals for authentication and fraud prevention.
For financial institutions, mobile identity APIs add a new layer of network-based identity signals that complement existing security mechanisms.
Key benefits include:
This approach helps balance two objectives that have historically been in tension in digital banking: stronger security and a smoother user experience.
Digital onboarding is one of the processes that benefits most from these technologies.
Mobile identity APIs allow part of the verification process to be automated. For example, an application can automatically confirm that the phone number entered by the user corresponds to the device being used during registration. This improves onboarding quality and reduces the risk of false or synthetic identities.
Digital banking fraud often relies on techniques such as SIM swapping, where attackers transfer a victim’s phone number to a new SIM card in order to intercept verification codes.
Network APIs make it possible to detect these changes in real time. If the system identifies a recent SIM replacement, the bank can increase the verification level or temporarily block certain operations. Additionally, these tools can detect inconsistencies between the phone number, device, and network connection—signals that strengthen risk management systems.
Mobile identity APIs do not replace existing security mechanisms; instead, they operate as an additional layer within multi-factor authentication strategies.
In practice, they are often integrated with biometrics, device-based authentication, one-time passcodes, and digital identity management platforms. Combining these signals enables adaptive authentication models, where verification levels adjust dynamically based on the risk associated with each transaction.
Beyond authentication, mobile identity APIs can also provide valuable data to optimize financial processes.
Signals such as mobile number stability, SIM change history, and consistency between device, phone number, and network connection can enhance risk evaluation models, credit scoring, and fraud prevention systems.
The development of mobile identity APIs is being driven by initiatives such as GSMA Open Gateway, which aims to standardize access to network capabilities for enterprises and developers.
This framework makes it easier for banks, fintech companies, and digital platforms to integrate these technologies across different markets.
In this context, solutions such as Plusmo Protect enable financial institutions to incorporate mobile identity signals into banking and payment platforms, helping to strengthen security, optimize digital experiences, and reduce fraud.
