Mastercard is partnering with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), to develop digital health pass solutions to speed up recovery from the pandemic.

The organisations claimed that world governments are still reliant on paper-based processes to determine the COVID-19 test results and vaccine status of travellers, and that these paper processes are difficult to validate, easily falsified, and inconvenient for people to use.

ICC and Mastercard said they believe technology should be at the heart of strategies for reopening society and bringing back travel, but that no single organisation can scale globally fast enough to address the global and networked needs of the air travel industry.

ICC and Mastercard said they will work with policymakers and business leaders to ensure that governments have a range of compatible digital health pass solutions to assist their recovery strategies.

This partnership also extends to the promotion of digital standards for the management and exchange of COVID-19 test results and vaccine status, via organisations such as the Good Health Pass Collaborative, and will focus on appropriate use of digital identity services that foster trust.

Mastercard has expanded tests of ID, its digital identity service based on a decentralised approach to user data, over the past year.

Mastercard has also partnerships with Australia’s Deakin University, Optus, and the Republic of North Macedonia to design and implement digital identity services.

In addition, Mastercard said it completed successful trials in Glasgow and London Gatwick airports to demonstrate what components are needed for a successful global inoperable health pass.

"Around the world, there is an urgent need for us to develop solutions that will help us address the current health concerns and enable people to safely reconnect with each other and their communities,” said Ajay Bhalla, president, cyber and intelligence at Mastercard. "Delivering a global, interoperable health pass system can only happen if we come together in a way that meets the needs of everyone involved."

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