Rewriting the Rules of Mobility with Digital Onboarding

Digital onboarding as mobility’s cornerstone

Expanding into new territories comes with challenges like differing regulations, cultural preferences, and diverse ID systems. Effective scaling requires tackling these complexities head-on, and digital onboarding positions as a key solution to simplify the process while ensuring compliance. 

International regulations can be tricky, with countries accepting different forms of ID—some require passports, others accept driver’s licenses or national IDs. Compliance frameworks like the EU’s GDPR add more complexity. Platforms supporting various electronic ID methods, like Sweden’s BankID, the Netherlands’ iDIN, or even eIDV, make it easier to meet local requirements. Automated updates also help businesses stay on top of evolving regulations, reducing risks and operational burdens. 

Manual processes increase errors and delays, but digital onboarding centralises and automates compliance. Traditional onboarding methods struggle during market expansions or peak periods, causing delays, higher costs, and user dissatisfaction. Digital onboarding solves these issues with automation, enabling companies to process thousands of applications efficiently, even during rapid growth. According to Forrester’s Total Economic Impact Report of Signicat, advanced platforms deliver a 303% ROI within three years and reduce fraud by 75%.  

By adopting digital onboarding, businesses can scale sustainably, stay compliant, and deliver a seamless user experience—ensuring success in today’s global market. 

Preventing fraud and bolstering security 

Fraud remains a significant challenge in the mobility sector, with common risks like identity falsification and unauthorised vehicle access. Proactive and innovative solutions are essential to effectively address these issues.  

One major concern for mobility companies is counterfeit identity documents, such as forged driving licences. Fortunately, modern digital tools are tackling this problem with advanced AI-powered solutions. By using chip-level data scanning, database cross-referencing, and anti-forgery algorithms, these technologies instantly validate documents. This not only ensures only approved users gain access, but also streamlines the process and reduces the workload for manual reviews.  

Digital identity technologies, such as encrypted digital wallets, take security a step further. These systems enable users to submit pre-verified credentials while maintaining control over their personal data. For businesses, this reduces onboarding friction, safeguards sensitive user information, and fosters trust—ultimately enhancing the company’s reputation. 

Additionally, biometric authentication technologies, including fingerprint scanning, facial recognition, and behavioural biometrics, add another layer of protection. By ensuring only authorised individuals can access vehicles and services, these tools help prevent fraud, minimise unauthorised use, and reduce costly incidents like vehicle theft.

With these advanced solutions, mobility companies can stay ahead of fraud risks while offering a safer, more fluid experience for users. 

Offering effortless and secure customer experiences 

Robust security is essential, but mobility users also expect a quick, smooth, and user-friendly experience. Poorly designed onboarding systems can frustrate users and even push them towards competitors, making it critical to balance security with convenience. Features like NFC-based ID scanning, OCR (Optical Character Recognition) data collection, and auto-filled online forms simplify complex procedures, reducing processing delays and boosting customer satisfaction. Simplifying these workflows has been shown to improve user acquisition conversion rates by 19%, according to the previously mentioned study.  

Since most mobility users interact via mobile devices, solutions must cater to this behaviour. Mobile-first features such as live feedback and app-based authentication create smoother onboarding experiences and help reduce user drop-offs. 

How Signicat unlocked Hyre’s expansion potential in just 5 days 

Hyre transformed car ownership with its car-sharing service and successfully expanded from Oslo to Stockholm and Copenhagen. To address cross-border challenges like identity verification, license checks, and regulatory compliance, they partnered with Signicat. In just five days, they integrated tools like BankID (Norway/Sweden) and MitID (Denmark), streamlining onboarding, ensuring compliance, and delivering a seamless customer experience.  

• Rapid Implementation: Signicat’s solution was fully integrated in just five days, significantly faster than the typical timeframe of up to six months.  
• Instant User Access: Customers were able to go from needing a car to being behind the wheel in as little as five minutes, making the onboarding process effortless.  
• Cross-Border Efficiency: Integration with national ID systems (e.g. BankID in Norway and Sweden, MitID in Denmark) ensured automated compliance and enabled secure scaling across multiple countries.  

By automating its processes, Hyre focused on providing the freedom of driving without ownership, scaling efficiently and confidently across borders. 

Preparing for mobility’s digital future 

Remote digital onboarding is proving indispensable for mobility providers tackling today’s industry challenges. From improving compliance and reducing fraud to scaling services efficiently and delivering better customer experiences, it offers substantial benefits. 

Rather than being viewed as merely a cost-saving measure, digital onboarding offers a forward-thinking strategy. It equips businesses to meet current needs while building preparedness for the demands of tomorrow—whether expanding into new markets or securing trust in a competitive industry. 

Mobility firms adopting these technologies are not only staying relevant but shaping the future of simple, scalable, and secure services. Those yet to take the leap must act soon—or risk being left behind in a rapidly evolving sector.