itsme^® doubles its growth rate and achieves record results in 2024

2024 was a record year for itsme^® at all levels. The company not only succeeded in maintaining growth working with its original partners, but it also successfully tapped into new market segments and invested in the development of new applications. This resulted in some outstanding figures: the total number of itsme^® actions rose to 475 million, and the company also recorded a profit of 5.4 million EUR.

Record growth in all areas

It’s now 7½ years since the itsme^® app was launched. During that time, it has become a fixed value for Belgian citizen. More than 7 million of our fellow countrymen and foreigners living here, have installed the itsme^® app on their smartphone. And every month, they are joined by another 40,000 to 50,000 new users. These additional users are not just Belgians, but also people of other nationalities. That’s because the app has become available in 16 European countries – and the plan is to expand this coverage even further. Naturally, this is a major benefit for the large expat population living in Belgium.

Every day, an average of 1.3 million identity actions are performed using itsme^®, allowing people to verify their identity online and approve transactions. In total, 473 million ID-related activities took place with itsme^® in 2024. This is nearly 30% more than the previous year, almost doubling the 17% growth seen between 2022 and 2023. The usage of digital signatures saw an even steeper rise with over 50% year-on-year growth. Last year, 2.2 million qualified electronic signatures (QES) were placed with itsme^®. These electronic signatures carry the same legal weight as a handwritten signature on paper.

This strong growth has led to impressive financial results, with itsme^® expected to report a profit of 5.4 million EUR, compared to 1.6 million EUR last year. ​

Solid in core sectors, groundbreaking in new markets

itsme^® has long been considered a trusted standard for identification on government platforms, as well as with financial service providers, telecom and insurance companies. Over the past year, the company has not only consolidated but further strengthened its position in these industries.

In 2024, the government reaffirmed its commitment to itsme^® by renewing its accreditation for another three years, ensuring its role as the official login tool for government platforms. Adoption also surged across key sectors, with usage increasing by 23% in finance, 56% in telecoms, and 31% in insurance. This growth is driven in part by existing partners like Proximus, which continue to expand their itsme^® integrations, as well as by new partnerships. One standout success: the seamless integration of itsme^® into the activation process for the Payconiq by Bancontact app, which attracted 400,000 users in just two months.

In addition to reinforcing growth with its original partners, itsme^® also achieved a breakthrough in a number of new industries last year. The main areas were HR, utility companies and online gaming, where the use of itsme^® more than doubled. In addition, in 2024 itsme^® also successfully took its first steps into the logistics sector. The collaboration with bpost for an easier identification process for registered mail and sharing delivery preferences, are good examples of this. ​ ​

Digital signature adoption saw a significant increase in 2024, with itsme^® experiencing a 52% rise in usage. This surge is largely driven by the growing adoption of digital signatures in the accounting sector, which is at the forefront of this shift. Looking ahead, demand for quick and secure digital signatures via itsme^® is expected to grow substantially, particularly following the recent framework agreement with the Flemish Government. This agreement enables the Flemish government, local authorities, and schools to use itsme^®’s signature services without limits, offering a secure and convenient solution for signing documents.

Stephanie De Bruyne, CEO of itsme^®: “I am very proud to have partnered with a diverse and impressive range of industries over the past year. This confirms that our solutions perfectly respond to the great need for smooth and secure digital authentication, as well as for secure data exchange and for signing documents in a way that meets the highest security standards.”

Pioneering is part of our DNA

In addition to successfully scaling its existing applications, itsme^® also has clear ambitions when it comes to innovation. For instance, the company is working on the development of a number of highly promising and groundbreaking innovation programs, with new applications in the areas of data sharing, physical authentication and age verification.

It has also been announced previously that itsme^® aims to enable the fast and secure exchange of additional data by connecting to digital wallets and data vaults. By using itsme^®, people will be able to give permission to share data from these data vaults with a third party, without itsme^® seeing or storing this data. An initial practical application in this area will be launched at the end of March: itsme^® has been working with Athumi on the development of a digital version of the student certificate, which enables students to prove their student status with a single click. This new service, which is based on the smooth, secure exchange of validated data, will save numerous organisations, companies and students a huge amount of administrative hassle. In the near future, exchanging other types of data will also become possible. ​ ​

itsme^® is also working closely on building bridges between the digital and physical worlds. In addition to online identity validation, the company is enabling fast, secure authentication of users in the physical world. This application holds significant potential. Pioneers like the city of Aalter, the Pro League (for secure stadium access) and the Port of Limburg (enhancing port security) are collaborating with itsme^® to drive these innovative programs further. ​ ​

Finally, itsme^® is developing a solution to deal with the huge need for age verification in online applications. This includes protecting young people against fraudulent practices, preventing the online purchase of products and services that are not intended for them and increasing their general online protection so that they can surf the net and enjoy gaming safely.

However, it goes without saying that in addition to these innovations, existing itsme^® applications will also be developed further to meet the requirements of a constantly expanding user base, as well as the growing need for safe and user-friendly solutions. The company also says that updating an itsme^® account, after a renewed eID card or a change of address will become easier. To achieve this, itsme^® has partnered with Batopin, the operator of CASH points, enabling all citizens to easily update their itsme^® account via a CASH point in the future. This will further simplify the use of the app moving forward.

Stephanie De Bruyne, CEO of itsme^®: “2024 was a landmark year for us, not just because of our strong growth, but also due to our successful expansion into high-potential markets with innovative spin-offs of our existing applications. We’ve also made it easier for businesses and government agencies to navigate a range of challenges, further enhancing our social impact.”