Strategic appointment to accelerate Hopae's global digital identity infrastructure and expand its presence in North America.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hopae, the global digital identity infrastructure company, today announced the appointment of Sarah Clark as Chief Product Officer and General Manager for North America. Clark most recently served as Senior Vice President of Digital Identity at Mastercard, where she led the development and launch of a globally interoperable digital ID network. With over 25 years of product leadership experience, including more than a decade building and launching innovative digital identity products and businesses, Clark brings key expertise that significantly strengthens the Hopae executive team.

Identity verification is undergoing a period of significant transformation.

Physical document scanning and selfie-based checks have been compromised by AI, while data breaches have resulted in an explosion of synthetic and stolen identities. Losses from identity fraud are expected to reach $58 billion annually by 2030 in the financial sector alone.

At the same time, governments worldwide have been investing heavily in digital identity infrastructure. In the US, 20 states have begun issuing mobile driver's licenses, while in the EU, all 27 member states will issue a digital identity wallet by 2026, with adoption rates expected to reach 80% by 2030. Other large countries, such as India and the Philippines, already operate digital ID programs at scale.
For organizations, accessing this fragmented digital ID landscape has become increasingly complex.

To address these challenges, Hopae built "Hopae Connect", the global eID hub.

Hopae Connect is the leading network that connects high-assurance, government-issued digital identities to the private sector, enabling organizations to easily access the root of trust behind government digital ID credentials. Hopae Connect is the next generation of ID verification, preventing fraud from document scanning and other compromised probabilistic techniques, while improving overall user experience.

Clark's immediate focus will be on accelerating Hopae Connect's leadership position with respect to coverage and ensuring best-in-class customer experience while offering one-click regulatory compliance. In her role as GM for North America, she will grow Hopae's customer base by focusing on acquisition of US-based businesses, including those with global footprints that can benefit significantly. 

"I joined the digital identity field with the conviction that it could solve real, long-standing challenges," said Clark. "Today, government-issued digital identities and wallets are accelerating across regions, but their diversity makes access increasingly complex. I am thrilled to use my unique experience building global ID networks to strengthen Hopae Connect's market-leading position while also contributing to Hopae's broader strategy. As someone who cares deeply about a future that looks out for data privacy for all individuals, I am also very excited by the opportunity to help shape Hopae's broader digital identity infrastructure, that enables privacy-preserving credentials beyond government-issued IDs."

"2026 will redefine how people interact online," said Ace Shim, CEO and Founder of Hopae. "For US-based companies serving European customers, compliance with EU regulations, such as eIDAS 2.0, is unavoidable. Beyond Europe, the real challenge is scale: organizations that want to strengthen trust and reduce fraud will have to support a growing and fragmented landscape of digital IDs and wallets worldwide, including global financial services and marketplaces where trust is critical. Hopae Connect provides a single integration to verify high-assurance, government-issued digital identities across markets, helping businesses build trust, reduce fraud, and stay compliant." 

About Hopae

Hopae is the digital identity infrastructure platform that helps organizations anticipate and comply with new regulations such as eIDAS 2.0, while staying competitive. Its suite of solutions provides a trusted, sovereign, and scalable infrastructure for digital identity, enabling higher conversion rates for businesses, reducing fraud, and ensuring more secure and self-sovereign identities for citizens. The company operates globally with offices in San Francisco, Paris, Luxembourg, and Seoul.
Learn more at www.hopae.com