# eKYC in Egypt: CBE digital identity rules | Konnect ID

> Identity verification in Egypt: the Central Bank's 2026 Digital Financial Identity rules, PDPL obligations, liveness, face match and Arabic flows.

Source: https://id.konnect.network/countries/egypt · Language: en · Also in fr: https://id.konnect.network/fr/countries/egypt · ar: https://id.konnect.network/ar/countries/egypt

## eKYC for Egypt, in Arabic first.

Egypt now has a central bank approved digital financial identity for retail customers, and a personal data protection law with executive regulations in force. Konnect ID gives fintechs, lenders, insurers and marketplaces a verification flow in Arabic that keeps a clear record of every decision.

- **Regulator**: Central Bank of Egypt (CBE)
- **eKYC**: Digital Financial Identity rules, CBE circular of 23 August 2026
- **Data protection**: Law 151 of 2020, executive regulations of 2025
- **Data authority**: Personal Data Protection Center

## The Digital Financial Identity system

In August 2026 the CBE set rules for a Digital Financial Identity (DFI) system run by the Digital Financial Identity Company (Haweya). Retail customers get one digital financial identity they can use to be identified and verified electronically, open banking products and update their data remotely. The operator must support reading the national ID and official documents, liveness detection and negative-list screening, and keep records in Egypt. Banks stay primarily responsible for verifying their customers.

## Where Konnect ID fits

Banks connect to the DFI system for retail customers. Many verifications sit outside it: lenders and insurers not yet connected, marketplaces verifying sellers, employers checking new hires, companies onboarding merchants and agents, or a bank's own step-up checks before a sensitive operation. For these, Konnect ID provides capture, document checks, liveness, face match, screening and a review desk, in Arabic, French or English.

## Documents

Konnect ID reads the photo page of any ICAO passport through its machine-readable zone, and the Tunisian national ID card front and back. Other national ID cards are added per deployment: tell us which documents your customers hold and we confirm coverage before you sign.

## Personal data under Law 151 of 2020

The executive regulations of the PDPL were issued under Ministerial Decision 816 of 2025, with a one-year grace period that ends around 1 November 2026. Identity images and biometrics are sensitive data: collect only what you need, keep them only as long as required, and control where they are stored. The self-hosted edition lets you keep every record in Egypt, on your own infrastructure.

## FAQ

### Does Konnect ID replace the DFI system?

No. Banks use the DFI system for retail customers. Konnect ID covers the verifications outside it, and the companies that are not part of it.

### Can data stay in Egypt?

Yes, with the self-hosted edition installed on your servers or private cloud in Egypt.

### Is the flow right-to-left in Arabic?

Yes. Every screen of the flow and the result page are available in Arabic with a right-to-left layout.

## Sources

- [Egypt's Digital Financial Identity rules for eKYC (Baker McKenzie, September 2026)](https://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/insight/publications/2026/09/egypt-new-digital-financial-identity-system-rules-for-ekyc)
- [Egypt PDPL executive regulations (CMS)](https://cms.law/en/are/legal-updates/egypt-s-pdpl-executive-regulations-issued-one-year-compliance-countdown-begins)

_Last reviewed on 2026-10-27. This page explains the rules in plain words and is not legal advice._

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