The pilot is jointly spearheaded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Chamber of Commerce. Thirty Dutch companies and institutions are part of the pilot, making the country one of the largest contributors. A total of 197 European partners, including public institutions as well as both small and large private-sector companies, are taking part in WE BUILD. Bolagsverket, the Swedish Companies Registration Office, is one of the consortium leaders. WE BUILD is expected to launch in September 2025 and will run for 24 months.
What are ID wallets?
EU Digital Identity Wallets (DIW) are digital applications that enable users to securely save, manage and share their personal or business identification data. They replace physical identification documents, such as your passport, driver’s licence or business registration. DIWs are essential to enhancing the security and efficiency of online business and will play a key role in new data-sharing approaches.
The European Commission selected the consortium to take part in the second round of large-scale pilots for the EU DIW. Europe has to strengthen its competitiveness. Innovation, digitalisation and support for organisations such as businesses are key enablers in achieving this goal, with Digital identity representing one of several fundamental building blocks.
Upcoming research
WE BUILD will pilot 13 use cases to cut red tape for businesses, making it easier for them to send invoice to customers, share business information for authentication purposes or file tax returns in other EU Member States.
Building on the insights and results from the first round of large-scale pilots for the EU Digital Identity Wallet projects, WE BUILD will take it to near-production and demonstrate ways in which a wallet could be adapted to business uses, such as corporate powers of attorney, signing authority and Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) declarations. This will enable businesses to automate and accelerate processes while reducing costs and improving security.
WE BUILD’s private-sector partners will pilot the EU DIWs in various B2B, B2G and B2C interactions and evaluate the benefits in terms of engagement, trust, efficiency and viability.
NWO call for Digital Identities
In the Netherlands, the Dutch Research Council has opened a large-scale call for proposals Under the title: ‘Digital Identities: Trust in the Digital World 2024’. This project aims to foster trust in our digital society by using improved digital identities to combat misinformation, data breaches and identity fraud. This mission is supported by the Knowledge and Innovation Covenant (KIC) 2024-2027, With 7 million euros of funding available.
You have until 8 April 2025 to submit proposals!
Read more about the Dutch Research Council’s call for ‘Digital Identities’