Digital Identity Down Under 2025
On the (part 2 possibly in the autumn) Digital Identity Down Under 2025 Tour, David Birch’s stopped in Sydney and New Zealand with a brief stop in Singapore on the way back for another Payments Pub Quiz!
First Stop: Unleashing Digital Identity Down Under 2025 at Beyond Tomorrow
David Birch spoke at Australian Payment Plus’ annual conference ‘Beyond Tomorrow’ where he kicked off the ‘Unleashing Digital Identity’ session by examining global trends, emerging standards, and the opportunities shaping the future of digital ID.
He was be joined by an expert panel of Debbie Gamble, Monica Wegner, Andrew Black and Kieran Donovan to explore how ConnectID is driving real-world value in Australia today—while looking ahead to the next frontier. From payments to social media, AI, and beyond, the panel explored how identity is the foundation for a more secure digital world.
Just wanted to say thanks again for playing such a big (and memorable!) role in Beyond Tomorrow.
David then went on to give a powerful and thought provoking 15 min Plus Talk all about the ‘Rise of A-Commerce’. This talk looked at how AI-driven agents are reshaping how consumers shop, pay, and interact. David shared insights into the impact on payments, businesses, and the future of commerce in an increasingly automated world.
Second Stop: Payments New Zealand
David Birch was joined by Victoria Richardson to deliver some sessions to various groups working in digital identity at Payments NZ. Their sessions provided valuable international insights allowing the teams to think differently about some of the major forces shaping the future of payments.
Key topics included:
🔹 The role of AI in customer-driven innovation – David explored how AI and autonomous agents may soon drive decision-making on behalf of consumers, and what that means for product design, pricing, and engagement strategies.
🔹 Resilience and sovereignty in payments infrastructure – With increased geopolitical uncertainty, the discussion focused on how to build resilient, future-ready systems with local control and robust alternatives to global dependencies.
🔹 Digital identity and trust infrastructure – Both David and Victoria shared learnings from international markets, including what’s working and what’s not. Victoria also offered practical insights into how agentic services backed by authentication can help reduce fraud and scams.
The team at Payments NZ also arranged dedicated sessions with David for some of their members, enabling deeper discussion and tailored insights relevant to their strategies and operations.
Bringing international thought leaders like David and Victoria to Aotearoa gives us the opportunity to test local thinking against global trends, explore new ideas, and strengthen our collective understanding of where payments are heading. Their visit has added real value to our work—and to the ecosystem—by helping shape conversations that matter.