EUDI Wallet: Why digital identities now belong in business processes
Imagine you want to take out a life insurance policy or open a bank account online, and all you have to do is log in and verify your identity via the wallet. No ‘Postident’ or other cumbersome procedures, no uploading of scanned documents.
With the EUDI Wallet, such processes are set to become as simple as placing an order in an online shop. The insurer or bank requests the identity details and supporting documents required to complete the transaction digitally. You can see on your smartphone what information is needed and release it selectively. Verified data flows directly into the application workflow. Additional digital supporting documents can be submitted in the same way. In the future, a qualified electronic signature may also be integrated into this process
What currently consists of data entry, identification, verification of supporting documents and other individual steps can thus become a seamless digital process. The EUDI Wallet brings a European digital identity to the smartphone and, at the same time, provides an infrastructure through which verified information can be exchanged between citizens, businesses and public authorities.
The EUDI Wallet makes digital credentials usable
EUDI stands for European Digital Identity. The EUDI Wallet is a digital wallet for identity data and verified certificates. It is based on the amended eIDAS Regulation, often referred to as eIDAS 2.0. This establishes a European framework for digital identities and their cross-border use.
The German government’s EUDI Wallet is due to be launched in early 2027 as a free smartphone app. Its core functions include a digital ID feature and the management of various digital certificates. Use of the app is voluntary for citizens. Further functions are set to follow gradually.
The wallet goes well beyond a digitised identity card. It can contain Person Identification Data (PID), i.e. verified personal identification data. In addition, it includes electronic attestations of attributes, known as Electronic Attestations of Attributes (EAA). These can, for example, serve as proof of a driving licence, a qualification or an authorisation. For particularly trustworthy attestations, the European framework provides for qualified electronic attestations of attributes, or QEAA for short. Qualified electronic signatures also form part of the ecosystem’s intended scope of functionality. This creates a shared infrastructure for information that organisations currently often process via copies, uploads, forms or separate identification services.
A document becomes a piece of information
The principle of selective data sharing is particularly interesting. A traditional form of identification often conveys more information than is required for a specific transaction. For example, anyone who currently proves their age with their identity card also reveals their name, date of birth, eye colour and other details that are not actually needed.
The EUDI Wallet allows for more granular control. For proof of age, for instance, it may be sufficient to confirm that a person has passed a certain age threshold; the exact date of birth is irrelevant. The user decides which of the requested data they wish to share. The government-issued wallet is designed to store personal data in encrypted form on the device and not to create centralised user profiles.
This changes the logic behind digital proofs. In future, businesses and public authorities will be able to dispense with scanned documents and their manual verification more often. Instead, verified attributes can be incorporated directly into digital processes and verified cryptographically.
The ecosystem connects issuers, users and services
Technically, the EUDI Wallet follows an issuer-holder-relying-party model. An issuing authority, the issuer, provides a verified digital credential. The user manages this credential as the ‘holder’ in their wallet. If a company or public authority requires specific information, it requests it as the ‘relying party’.
Other stakeholders are involved depending on the scenario. Authentic sources and data providers supply verified data, whilst companies, public authorities and other organisations receive and verify this data once it has been authorised by users. The wallet connects these roles and gives users control over what information they share.
This architecture is crucial to the practical effectiveness of the wallet. A digital certificate is of little use as long as it can only be displayed on a smartphone. It becomes relevant as soon as a specialist system can automatically request, verify and process it. This brings interfaces, data models and process integration to the fore.
The launch is scheduled for early 2027. Preparations are already underway.
The first version of the German government’s EUDI Wallet is planned for early 2027. Initially, support will be provided for, amongst other things, the digital ID function and various digital certificates. Further certificates will be added gradually.
For businesses and public authorities, however, the work begins today. The official EUDI Wallet sandbox is available as a test environment. Organisations can use it to trial their own use cases with test data, prepare their technical integration and test both identification and proof scenarios.
The first step should therefore be to start with a specific use case. The key question is not so much whether an organisation can, in principle, make use of the EUDI Wallet. What is more interesting is identifying which existing processes would benefit from a noticeable improvement through the use of verified identity or proof data.
Use cases are found wherever there’s a bottleneck
The number of possible applications is vast. The ‘Wallet-ready?!’ initiative examines areas of application across public administration, finance, healthcare, social security, education, industry and skilled trades, retail and logistics, mobility, and the justice system.
For businesses and public authorities, it is therefore worth taking a look at their own processes first: where do people enter the same data multiple times? Where do they upload supporting documents as PDFs or photos? Where do staff check documents manually? Where does a separate identification step interrupt an otherwise digital workflow? Where does information need to be transferred between a portal and a specialist system? Such points are promising candidates for EUDI applications.
When prioritising, several factors should be taken into account: regulatory relevance, current friction in the process, the volume of the process and the effort required for integration. Consequently, the most technically spectacular use case is not automatically the most sensible place to start. A frequently used standard process can have a much greater impact.
Simple account openings at banks and insurance companies
In the banking and insurance sectors, many of the prerequisites for EUDI applications come together. Organisations must identify individuals, process data, verify authorisations and accept documents. At the same time, customers expect digital journeys to be as simple as possible.
During onboarding and contract conclusion, verified identity data can be transferred directly into the application workflow once approved. Separate identity verification steps, repeated data entry or document uploads can be eliminated.
Self-service also offers interesting scenarios. Wallet-based authentication, for example, can help to unambiguously attribute sensitive contract amendments or service requests to a specific individual.
In the claims process, policyholders can transfer identity data, consents and verified supporting documents directly into a digital claims workflow. In conjunction with solutions such as the Materna Wallet Claim, image and case data can also be securely captured and integrated into further verification processes. Trustworthy identity and supporting documentation can thus be merged with further information relating to the claim.
Looking ahead, insurers may also act as issuers themselves. Insurance certificates, proof of contract or no-claims certificates can then be made available as digitally verifiable credentials. This expands a company’s role within the EUDI ecosystem: it can receive evidence whilst also issuing its own trustworthy evidence.
The public sector must also integrate the wallet into its processes
For the public sector, too, simply offering a new login is not enough. The benefit arises from integration with administrative procedures.
For example, the EUDI Wallet can provide identity data for digital applications or transfer verified evidence to a specialist process. In the longer term, the link to registers and the ‘once-only’ principle will also come into play. Data already held by public authorities can thus be integrated more closely into end-to-end digital workflows.
Various integration approaches are possible for the technical implementation. EUDI Wallet authentication can be integrated directly into the public sector infrastructure or utilised via existing components such as BundID. Equally important is the reverse direction: specialist procedures and registers can provide relevant attributes, whilst other procedures can receive and process data from the Wallet.
The wallet thus becomes part of a larger administrative architecture. It comes into its own where identity, supporting documents, specialist procedures and registers come together to form an end-to-end process.
Being ‘wallet-ready’ is also an organisational issue
The more applications are developed, the clearer it becomes that the EUDI Wallet affects several areas of an organisation. Specialist departments focus on processes and customer interactions, whilst IT is responsible for integration and operations; data protection and information security teams review data flows and protective measures.
The ‘Wallet-ready?!’ initiative therefore recommends that organisations subject to acceptance obligations or wishing to actively utilise the capabilities of the EUDI Wallet appoint a ‘Wallet Officer’. This role is intended to coordinate use cases, advise management and structure responsibilities relating to the introduction and use of the wallet.
Whether an organisation establishes a separate role for this or expands existing responsibilities depends on its structure. The underlying principle is more important than the specific job title: the issue requires clear accountability. Otherwise, there is a risk that EUDI will be split between business units, IT, data protection, compliance and individual digital projects, with no one taking overall responsibility for the process.
Getting started requires a concrete process
A structured EUDI Readiness Check is a good place to start. The first step is to identify which products, customer journeys, supporting documents, systems and stakeholders are affected by the EUDI Wallet. The organisation can then assess its own level of maturity in areas such as customer experience, architecture, governance, compliance and operations.
Building on this, suitable use cases are prioritised. Key factors include their business value, regulatory relevance, potential risks and technical feasibility. This assessment leads to a target vision and a roadmap. A selected use case can then be tested in the sandbox.
A pilot provides more than just a technical proof of concept. It demonstrates what data is actually required, how users experience the authorisation process, what interfaces are available and what adjustments are needed to the business process. In this way, an abstract European infrastructure is transformed into a concrete digital process.
Materna integrates the EUDI Wallet into existing processes
Materna supports businesses and public authorities as an integration, transformation and implementation partner for the EUDI Wallet. The focus is on connecting the European identity ecosystem with real-world organisational and IT landscapes.
This includes wallet readiness and use-case prioritisation, as well as process and experience design, architecture, integration, governance and piloting. Materna already has experience with digital identities and complex application procedures. This includes, amongst other things, connecting the Federal Government’s form management system to the BundID. Materna also works with the official EUDI sandbox, as well as with prototype and international integration scenarios.
This expertise is crucial because the success of the EUDI Wallet hinges on the interfaces: between the wallet and the portal, between proof of identity and specialist procedures, and between European standards and established system landscapes.
A viable implementation therefore combines technical integration with the relevant business or administrative process. Only then will the wallet evolve from a new infrastructure into a tool that genuinely simplifies everyday digital life.
