Tariq Malik among global top 25 identity leaders in Okta 2026 list

Former National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) chairman Tariq Malik has been named among the world’s top 25 identity leaders in the 2026 edition of The Identity 25 released by Okta, a US-based digital identity platform.

Okta said the honourees were selected for their contributions to software development, standards creation, and strategic implementation aimed at securing digital transactions and improving authentication systems.

The report highlighted growing global challenges in identity security, including authentication of autonomous AI systems and the rising threat of AI-generated biometric forgeries.

Malik has over 25 years of experience working with governments and multilateral institutions on digital identity and civil registration systems linked to governance, inclusion, and economic development.

During his tenure at National Database and Registration Authority, he led one of the world’s largest biometric registration initiatives, enrolling more than 145 million citizens.

NADRA’s digital identity framework was later used to support public policy interventions, including social protection programmes for women, assistance mechanisms for internally displaced persons, anti-corruption efforts, and poverty reduction initiatives.

Okta’s report said Malik’s work reflects broader global shifts toward passwordless authentication systems. He has advocated the use of passkeys to replace traditional passwords and promoted standards-based verifiable credentials that allow selective disclosure of encrypted data instead of full data sharing.

Malik said institutions often operate under high pressure with significant expectations, but digital identity systems consistently aim to improve efficiency, inclusion and service delivery.

He also noted that passkeys are enabling large-scale removal of passwords, while verifiable credentials are changing how digital trust is established in online systems.

Malik stepped down as NADRA chairman in 2023. It was his second tenure in the role, following an earlier term that ended in 2013.