For most Canadians, buying and selling on a peer-to-peer marketplace often means transacting with strangers, and that comes with a degree of uncertainty that no amount of good photos or positive ratings fully resolves. Interac and Kijiji recently announced they are taking a step toward changing that through a collaboration that brings Interac Verified solutions to the Kijiji platform – giving users a secure, trusted way to verify who they are before they message, post an item for sale, meet or make a purchase.
Kijiji connects millions of Canadians every month across categories from automotive and real estate, to furniture, phones and clothing. With more than four million live listings and over one million new listings added each month, it is one of the most active peer-to-peer commerce platforms in the country. The platform has long relied on ratings and reviews to build user confidence, but this collaboration now raises that baseline. By integrating Interac Verified solutions as an additional trust layer that ratings alone cannot provide, this positions Kijiji as setting a new standard for peer-to-peer commerce in Canada, according to a news release.
“Trust is the foundation of every transaction on our platform and we’ve always taken that seriously,” said Amanda Zeffiro, General Manager, Kijiji Canada. “Integrating Interac Verified solutions to bring verified identity to Kijiji is how we raise that standard, giving Canadians the confidence to transact with people they’ve never met, regardless of what it is that they’re buying.”
Kijiji said it chose to work with Interac because of the trust Interac Verified solutions already carry in the Canadian market – built on the same network that financial institutions and governments rely on to help verify identity. A Canadian marketplace working with a domestic verification provider also means identity data stays within a Canadian regulatory and trust framework, a deliberate choice at a time when Canadians are paying closer attention to where their data goes and who controls it, it explained.
“Interac Verified solutions were built to bring the trust of the Interac network into identity verification and this collaboration compounds that trust with reach,” said Giles Sutherland, Head, Business Development, Interac. “Millions of people transact on Kijiji every month. Putting verified identity at those moments is where it makes a real difference for Canadians.”
Kijiji users with accounts at participating financial institutions can verify their identity through Interac verification service. Later this year, a second path is expected to become available, giving users the choice of document verification with liveness checks against accepted forms of government-issued ID. Both options, powered by Interac Verified solutions, are intentionally designed to offer flexibility. Canadians have different comfort levels and verification needs depending on the transaction, and the integration is built to reflect that. Once verification is successfully completed, users will receive confirmation that they have been verified, according to the new release.
Verified identity will complement existing trust signals like ratings and reviews, rather than replace them. Reputation can tell you how someone has transacted in the past, while where verified identity confirms who they are. In high-value categories like auto and real estate, verified identity can add a meaningful layer of confidence before committing to a significant transaction. In everyday categories – furniture, phones, appliances, clothing – it can reduce the uncertainty that comes with meeting with a stranger, alongside other safety transaction practices, it noted.
More from Retail Insider:
