EU Rolls Out Key Pilots for Digital ID Wallets

Published Date : 9/2/2025 

The European Union has initiated two large-scale pilots, APTITUDE and WE BUILD, to develop and refine the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet. These pilots aim to ensure the wallet's security, interoperability, and usability across various use cases. 

A pair of EU co-funded Large Scale Pilots have started development on making the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet ecosystem secure and interoperable. These pilots, run by the APTITUDE and WE BUILD consortia, bring together EU member states, public authorities, SMEs, major European enterprises, and international digital identity experts to test and refine wallet functionality across diverse use cases.

The APTITUDE Consortium will explore applications ranging from travel credentials to mobile vehicle registration certificates. They aim to demonstrate the interoperability, usability, and scalability of EUDI Wallets while actively promoting their benefits. On the other hand, the WE BUILD Consortium will focus on streamlining business and payment interactions across business-to-business (B2B), business-to-government (B2G), and business-to-consumer (B2C) domains.

Steve Pannifer, SVP of digital identity at Fime, recently discussed the aggressive timelines and compliance challenges of the EUDI project with Biometric Update. According to Pannifer, the complexity of the proposed ecosystem makes the timelines look tight. “It’s not just about doing a wallet. It’s doing a wallet, and having it work within that emerging ecosystem,” he explained. Pannifer also provided insights on adoption and payment models on the Biometric Update podcast.

A total of six Large Scale Pilot projects are testing the EUDI Wallet before its rollout to member states. Currently, two are active, and four have completed their work. By December 2026, member states are mandated to make wallets available to their citizens and businesses. More than 11 everyday use cases are being tested by the Large Scale Pilots for the EUDI Wallet. Across the 26 EU member states, as well as Norway, Iceland, and Ukraine, 550 private companies and public authorities are involved in the Large Scale Pilots.

To support collaboration and technical alignment, the European Commission will host a targeted event in Brussels from 10 to 12 December. The three-day gathering will offer wallet developers and service providers from national teams the opportunity to conduct peer-to-peer interoperability tests with counterparts from other Member States. UX and accessibility specialists will convene to discuss shared design guidelines for EUDI Wallets, while communications experts from national public administrations will collaborate on rollout strategies alongside EU Commission representatives. Members of the Large Scale Pilots will also present demonstrations of specific wallet use cases developed under their grant agreements.

Participants in the business-centric pilot run by WE BUILD will include Procivis, which announced its role as a beneficiary partner in the consortium. The Orell Füssli subsidiary states that its technology for eIDAS 2.0 digital identities and wallets is already production-ready and will be applied to use cases for businesses’ wallets and digital payments. “WE BUILD is a milestone for the digital economy in Europe. We are looking forward to contributing with our production-ready, eIDAS 2.0 compliant technology Procivis One to enable an interoperable ecosystem for governments and businesses,” says Désirée Heutschi, Co-CEO of Procivis. WE BUILD stands for “Wallet Ecosystem Building in Large-scale Deployments.”

The event will take place in central Brussels with attendance restricted to current participants in the EUDI Wallet initiative, including representatives of national public administrations, their service providers, and recipients of official EU grants for wallet piloting. Interested participants are invited to complete a short registration form to help organizers tailor the programme to attendee needs. More information can be found on the official EU website. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): 

Q: What are the main goals of the APTITUDE and WE BUILD consortia?

A: The APTITUDE Consortium aims to explore applications such as travel credentials and mobile vehicle registration certificates, while the WE BUILD Consortium focuses on streamlining business and payment interactions across B2B, B2G, and B2C domains.

Q: When is the EUDI Wallet expected to be available to citizens and businesses?

A: By December 2026, member states are mandated to make the EUDI Wallet available to their citizens and businesses.

Q: What is the role of Procivis in the WE BUILD Consortium?

A: Procivis is a beneficiary partner and technical provider in the WE BUILD Consortium, contributing its production-ready, eIDAS 2.0 compliant technology to enable an interoperable ecosystem for governments and businesses.

Q: How many use cases are being tested for the EUDI Wallet?

A: More than 11 everyday use cases are being tested by the Large Scale Pilots for the EUDI Wallet.

Q: What is the purpose of the targeted event in Brussels?

A: The event in Brussels is aimed at supporting collaboration and technical alignment among wallet developers and service providers from national teams, offering peer-to-peer interoperability tests and discussions on shared design guidelines and rollout strategies. 

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