Foundations before innovation 

Right now, the EUDIW is laying infrastructure, critical rails for identity, trust, and verifiability across borders and sectors. Just like the early days of the internet or smartphones, it’s tempting to view the wallet through the lens of current services. But the biggest value will emerge when this infrastructure becomes widely available and starts enabling entirely new models of interaction for people, organizations, and eventually, machines. One area I believe will see early, tangible value is in organizational wallets. 

Imagine an organization that can hold and present verifiable credentials: legal ownership, licenses, board representation, financial standings and perhaps most importantly, proof of identity. Today, fraud is impersonating because anyone can claim to represent a bank, a utility company, or even a government agency. But with trusted, verifiable organizational credentials, such impersonation becomes significantly harder and potentially prosecutable. 

This isn’t just a fraud prevention tool - it’s a trust-enabler for digital commerce, public sector engagement, and cross-border collaboration. 

Smart authorizations: A future without password sharing 

Another possibility for the EUDIW is a completely new frontier in authorization management. Currently, authorization is in most cases missing altogether, or if it is present, it is very simplistic: you either have access or you don’t. In practice, this has led to security shortcuts like employees sharing login credentials or family members using each other’s eIDs. These workarounds are both dangerous and inefficient, and in many cases a violation of the customer agreement. 

With the EUDIW, we can gain granular, verifiable authorizations. I could authorize a family member to pay my bills up to a limit but not take out a loan. An employee could access specific business accounts, without the keys to everything. It’s precise, secure, and fully auditable - and it should be the new normal. 

The omni-present wallet 

The idea that your digital identity should be locked to a single phone is outdated. We live in a world of interconnected devices with laptops, tablets, kiosks, and smartwatches. Why should your identity only live in one place? 

A resilient identity system must support multi-device access and robust recovery mechanisms. If someone loses their phone on vacation, they shouldn’t lose their digital identity. With biometric recovery and access via trusted public offices, the wallet must follow the user - not the device. 

 AI and the Wallet: Smarter, not just safer 

Another trend that can’t be ignored is the role of AI. We're moving toward a future where digital agents act on our behalf; booking travel, paying bills, even responding to emails, known as agentic AI. These agents will need wallets of their own with strict permissions and a clear link to their human owner. 

But AI isn’t just an add-on, it can become part of the wallet itself. Imagine a wallet that proactively warns you: “This company is flagged for fraud - are you sure you want to proceed?” 

This kind of context-aware intelligence is what will turn the wallet from a passive container into an active guardian. I want it to protect me from my own stupidity. 

Regulation is finally catching up 

We’re starting to see something I’ve long hoped for: regulatory convergence. For instance, the EU’s new Anti-Money Laundering (AML) directives now reference eIDAS, creating a more unified framework. This alignment simplifies compliance, reduces uncertainty, and makes it easier for financial institutions to adopt digital identity solutions without fragmentation. 

By the end of next year, the EUDIW should be available to all EU citizens, residents, and organizations. A year later, certain industries will be required to accept it. But regulation doesn’t guarantee enthusiasm. For widespread uptake, we need that one, compelling use case where people say: “Wow. I need this.” 

It might be seamless onboarding to a financial service, real-time proof of identity when traveling, or secure access to healthcare across borders. Whatever it is, it must deliver clear, everyday value. 

Tietoevry Banking’s role in the identity future 

At Tietoevry Banking, we’re already building for this future. Our Identity Proofing solution enables secure, biometric onboarding using just a smartphone and an electronic passport or government ID with full support for confirming presence during onboarding. 

Unlike bolt-on identity solutions that can add cost and complexity, our approach offers financial institutions a streamlined alternative to existing BankID-based processes, helping simplify operations and reduce friction. Whether delivered as a standalone app or embedded as an SDK, it is designed to meet the expectations of today while supporting the capabilities of tomorrow. 

We see identity not just as a compliance requirement, but as a strategic enabler of digital trust, security, and growth. The EU Digital Identity Wallet isn’t just another app. It’s a foundation. A gateway. A silent revolution in how people, organizations, and soon machines will prove and use identity. 

But we need to think bigger. Beyond devices. Beyond forms. Beyond static credentials. 

Let’s build smart, interoperable, resilient systems that people will trust and want to use. Because once that trust is earned, everything else becomes possible

International ID Day 2026

16th of September, we set the spotlight at the International ID Day 2026. We at Tietoevry Banking’s Financial Crime Prevention unit proudly recognize the importance of legal identity. This year’s theme, “My Identity, My Umbrella”, highlights how a secure identity provides protection, dignity, and access - a principle that guides our work in safeguarding identities and preventing fraud. That’s why we’re publishing this article: to shine a light on this important issue and celebrate the role of identity in protecting and empowering everyone.

Discover how our Identity Suite safeguards your identity:

Identity Suite