The European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) was sold to the public as the long-awaited solution to fragmented digital identities across the continent. One secure app, usable in every EU country, holding everything from driving licences to university diplomas and health records. This setup aims to simplify daily tasks, cut down on fraud, and give users better control over their data. The eIDAS 2.0 regulation drives this effort, requiring every member state to deliver a functional wallet by the end of 2026. From The RegTech’s viewpoint in Dubai, EUDI Wallet adoption stands out as a major step forward for digital trust and efficiency in Europe.
As of January 15, 2026, the picture remains mixed. The regulation leaves no room for ambiguity. The obligation is binding, and the technical architecture has been published in detail through the European Commission’s Architecture and Reference Framework. While the regulation sets a firm deadline, many member states lag behind. Some countries have advanced with prototypes or pilots, but others have made little headway or remain stuck in planning. Reports indicate that nations like the Netherlands have openly stated they will not fully meet the timeline, and places such as Bulgaria have yet to start substantial work due to missing national laws. Large-scale pilots funded by the Commission test real-world scenarios in travel, education, and payments, yet full national rollouts vary widely. This uneven pace creates genuine risk: if too many states miss the deadline, the entire vision of interoperable, trustworthy digital identity across Europe could lose momentum.
5 Key Takeaways
- A binding deadline, uneven readiness: eIDAS 2.0 leaves no ambiguity – every EU member state must deliver a functional EUDI Wallet by the end of 2026. Yet progress is highly uneven, with some countries piloting advanced solutions while others remain stalled by legal or organisational barriers, putting interoperability at risk.
- Adoption, not technology, is the real bottleneck: The technical framework is largely in place, and pilots show the wallet can work. The decisive challenge is adoption: delays, poor user experience, or fragmented national rollouts could undermine trust and stall momentum across Europe.
- Digital identity is an ongoing governance problem: EUDI Wallets are not a one-off engineering project. They sit at the intersection of citizen expectations, state sovereignty, business needs, and privacy regulation. Progress will be incremental, measured in usability, trust, and uptake rather than in “final” solutions.
- Technology enables trust but cannot replace it: Cross-border use cases, such as digital diplomas, show that cryptographic verification is only the first step. Legal recognition, institutional alignment, and political agreement remain outside the wallet’s scope and must evolve in parallel.
- Practical proofs of concept can close the gap: With less than a year to go, reusable, compliant proofs of concept, like those developed by The RegTech, offer a pragmatic way for lagging states to accelerate delivery, bridge legacy systems, and move from ambition to real-world adoption before the 2026 deadline.
Why EUDI Wallet Adoption Matters Most Now
The RegTech regards EUDI Wallet adoption as the central issue in European digital identity today. Successful rollout means easier access to services, reduced paperwork, and stronger privacy for citizens. It also opens doors for businesses to handle secure transactions with less friction. With only months left, delays in some countries threaten momentum. This is the reason why we actively contribute by developing a proof of concept that shows practical ways to build compliant wallets. This work bridges gaps, demonstrates integration with existing systems, and helps nations catch up without reinventing everything from scratch.
The deeper difficulty lies in the very nature of the problem digital identity tries to solve. Unlike straightforward engineering tasks with clear endpoints, digital identity across 27 jurisdictions involves conflicting priorities, historical differences, and constantly shifting requirements. Every attempted improvement affects multiple parties. Citizens demand simplicity and control. National administrations want security and sovereignty. Businesses look for frictionless integration. Privacy regulators insist on minimal data sharing. Each group evaluates success differently, and agreement on what counts as “better” remains elusive. Because of these dynamics, solutions cannot be declared finished; they can only be made incrementally more usable over time.
Success, in this context, should not be measured by the disappearance of all problems. That expectation misunderstands the challenge. Instead, meaningful progress appears in smaller, tangible improvements: more citizens actively using digital credentials, faster and safer cross-border transactions, better fraud detection, stronger user control over personal data, and gradual alignment of recognition practices. Each step forward matters because it builds the trust and experience necessary for the next one.
A Real-World Example: University Diplomas Across Borders
Consider a Czech graduate using an EUDI Wallet to present a digital diploma in France or Italy. The cryptographic verification works reliably. The authenticity of the document can be confirmed in seconds. Yet none of that guarantees the diploma will be accepted as equivalent to a local qualification. Recognition depends on separate legal and institutional processes: accreditation status, curriculum alignment, national education policies, and sometimes bilateral agreements. These layers exist outside the wallet itself. The technology provides a transport mechanism, but the hard work of mutual trust and harmonised standards still needs to be done through political and administrative channels.
Recent evaluations of the 2018 Council Recommendation on automatic mutual recognition of higher education qualifications illustrate the gap. The 2023 progress report found persistent conceptual confusion, inconsistent practices between and even within countries, and slow movement toward genuine automation. A truly functional cross-border credential system therefore requires more than a good wallet. It demands sustained negotiation about what qualifications mean in different national contexts. The EUDI Wallet can accelerate parts of the process, but it cannot replace the broader consensus-building exercise.
This reality explains why The RegTech considers EUDI Wallet adoption so essential. The wallet is the visible, citizen-facing entry point. If it functions well and gains public trust, it creates positive momentum for tackling the more complicated recognition and interoperability questions. If adoption stalls because of poor user experience, long delays, or visible gaps between countries, confidence in the entire project will suffer. The company’s proof of concept therefore emphasises practical usability alongside compliance. It shows how teams can quickly roll out wallets in lagging countries, bridge legacy systems, and simplify user onboarding for widespread adoption.
EUDI Wallet Adoption: Measuring Success in Realistic Terms
Progress should focus on concrete gains rather than perfect resolution. Look for more citizens using digital credentials, smoother cross-border dealings, improved fraud prevention, and growing trust. These steps build the foundation for future advances. The RegTech believes the EUDI Wallet delivers real benefits: less reliance on physical documents, enhanced data protection, and new service possibilities.
The slow start by several member states also highlights the value of external contributions like the one The RegTech is making. National governments face resource constraints, political sensitivities, and the pressure of aligning with both EU specifications and domestic laws. Private-sector players use regulatory expertise and existing prototypes to cut time and costs from the start. The RegTech’s proof of concept serves exactly this purpose: it offers a working reference that countries can study, adapt, or even integrate into their own efforts, helping to close the gap between ambition and delivery.
Less than twelve months remain until the deadline. The countries that have not yet started development face a steep climb. The question is no longer whether the EUDI Wallet can technically work; the evidence already points to yes. The real question is whether enough stakeholders, governments, businesses, and citizens, will commit the sustained effort needed to make adoption widespread and meaningful by the end of 2026.
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