UID effects: India sees a surge in bank accounts

Some 80% of people enrolling for biometric IDs want bank accounts (Economic Times, India)

“If we are able to provide every such person with a bank account, financial access will explode in India,” Mr Nilekani said. Considering the pace of enrolments for Aadhaar, there was a very real possibility that the number of bank accounts issued in the next four years will exceed the number of accounts banks have issued since India's independence, he felt.

It's been a while since we checked in with India's UID project. Providing the world's poor with a verifiable identity is key to helping them through both government and market based initiatives.