Wallets are on the EU’s mind, as use cases in identity verification, ticketing and payments grow. Under eIDAS 2.0, EU nations have until 2026 to offer a digital wallet to their residents. Some are ahead of the curve, running large-scale pilots. Others are mired in the fog, with awareness of the EUDI wallet running low. Time is running out to become wallet-ready.
Signicat offers capability to add data, as tested in NOBID pilot
Anticipating the rise of digital wallets in the EU context, identity verification firm Signicat has introduced a new feature to its platform, allowing organizations to add their data to identity wallets.
A release from the Norwegian IDV provider says identity wallets will simplify how users control their data. What gives them so much potential is the possibility to add data to them (like a proof of income, insurance policy number, etc.). “Exactly this capability was added to the Signicat platform,” the firm says.
But the variety of potential data, from personal information to real estate and vehicle ownership, means a huge effort would be required for businesses and public sector entities to familiarize themselves with different wallets, protocols and policies.
Enter Signicat. “Signicat’s platform can issue data to any (EU) wallet and supports any mandated data format. We tested this during the Nordic-Baltic eID collaboration (NOBID) pilot, where we offered help to the Norwegian government by adding data from their national population and contact register to the NOBID wallet.”
The NOBID wallet is among the EU Digital Wallet Consortium’s large-scale pilot projects being run as part of the larger European Digital Identity (EUDI) wallet program. In keeping with regulatory requirements, “Signicat complies with the EU’s interoperability standards, as proven by integrating two different wallets using distinct data formats (ISO/IEC 18013-5:2021 mdoc and SD-JWT VC).”
The firm says that its role as a facilitator is clear: “Signicat enables public and private organisations to issue their data into wallets across Europe securely. This approach eliminates the need for these organisations to invest in new infrastructure, invest in compliance or audits, while Signicat takes the burdens as a trusted service provider.”
Last year, Esther Makaay, an eID expert at Signicat, noted the importance of the business case for digital ID wallets. “With an ecosystem that needs private sector services, we cannot neglect this element,” she says.
Swiss bankers approve of digital wallets, see expanding use cases
“Until recently, wallets have been viewed as apps for managing means of payment,” says a recent post from the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA). “But they are increasingly being used to handle everything from assets and passes (such as tickets and membership cards) to electronic identities (e-IDs).”
The SBA commissioned a study from the Institute of Financial Services Zug IFZ at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, categorizing existing wallet solutions according to a taxonomy of 18 attributes. They include use cases, interoperability, governance, authentication privacy, underlying technology, end-user pricing and more.
In considering the results, the SBA says banks need to decide on a “preferred role in the wallet environment.” Options might include storing and managing digital identities and assets, processing payments and transactions, or acting as wallet providers or compliance partners for third-party providers.
Once a bank has chosen what it wants to do, it can “essentially consider three generic strategies to unlock the potential of wallets.” These are 1) integrating into existing wallet platforms such as Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, 2) developing Switzerland’s “favourite app”, TWINT, into a “super-app” with e-ID, digital signatures and digital asset management functionality, and 3) developing a proprietary wallet as a central access point for customers.
“Consumers will increasingly use the capabilities of digital wallets in their everyday lives,” says the SBA. “Wallets will take on more and more functions, from e-IDs to driving licences and even insurance policies. User-friendliness and multiple features will continue to drive takeup. It is time for banks to think about what these developments mean for their business.”
Most people in Latvia ‘know nothing’ about EUDI wallet
One key to getting customers to use digital wallets is to make sure they know about them at all. The problem of awareness is currently plaguing Latvia. A press release from Labs of Latvia notes a recent survey by the research company Norstat showing that 69 percent of Latvian residents “know nothing about the digital identity wallet.”
Twenty three percent “have heard of its existence but are unsure how it works,” while “only 8 percent of respondents claim to be familiar with its functionality.”
Considering the legislative and regulatory push the EU is giving digital identity wallets, this counts as a major communication breakdown in transferring knowledge of what wallets can do.
Use cases such as airport check-ins, healthcare and mobile driver’s licenses are still well under the public radar.
According to Ivars Muciņš, CEO of the IT company Euso, “Latvia’s sluggishness and delays, and half-hearted approach to informing the public about such important changes, will hinder successful implementation” of wallets.
IT’s-a-ready: Italy’s wallet now available
A report from Techradar says all Italians can now digitize their identity documents using the IT Wallet, the country’s offering under the EUDI wallet scheme.
IT Wallet users can “digitally scan their driving license and health card directly from the IO app, Italy’s public services application.” Support for other documents, such as ID cards and passports, is forthcoming.
Where there are wallets, of course, there are security, privacy and ethical concerns. Journalist Martina Pastorelli has referred to the IT Wallet as “the EU digital cage, which will reduce governments into platforms and citizens into users, transforming rights into concessions and services into products.” Another critic calls it a “privacy nightmare that is not safe to use!!!”
Source: Biometric Update
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