EU Business Wallet
The European Commission has recently published its proposal for an
EU Business Wallet together with the draft European Business Wallet Regulation, a development that further cements Europe’s digital transformation under the eIDAS framework. This initiative complements the existing EUDI Wallet for citizens and introduces a harmonised digital tool for businesses and public entities across the Union.
A New Digital Instrument for Cross-Border Trust
The proposal aims to provide economic operators and public sector bodies with a secure and interoperable solution to identify, authenticate, sign or seal, and exchange documents and attestations with full legal effect across borders.
Its objectives can be summarised as follows:
- A harmonised and trusted digital tool enabling secure identification, authentication, signing, sealing, and document exchange across the EU.
- Reduced administrative and reporting burdens in both B2G and B2B interactions, particularly for compliance and supervisory processes.
While the proposal clearly defines its purpose, it also raises an important question: how does this new Business Wallet relate to the EUDI Wallet introduced through the eIDAS reform?
EUDI Wallet vs Business Wallet: Different Purposes, Shared Foundations
The EUDI Wallet is inherently human-centric. It serves individuals, enabling them to carry their personal digital identity, attributes, licences, and documents in a privacy-preserving and user-controlled manner. Its core philosophy revolves around data minimisation, empowerment, and secure use across borders.
The Business Wallet, on the other hand, is designed around organisational needs. It will be available to companies, institutions, partnerships, sole traders, professionals, and even public bodies. Its functionality reflects the realities of economic and regulatory life. The wallet will:
- Manage corporate structure and representation
- Embed mandates defining who is authorised to act on behalf of an entity
- Provide traceability, auditability, and legal certainty
- Serve as a secure channel for sending and receiving official documents
- Connect directly to core identifiers such as EUID, VAT, LEI, BRIS, and One-Stop Shop registries
In essence, it is a more formal and structured instrument reflecting the legal significance of business operations.
Interoperability Through the eIDAS Trust Backbone
Despite their different purposes, both wallets rely on the same eIDAS trust infrastructure. They are built upon:
- Qualified electronic signatures and seals-
- Qualified timestamps
- Qualified electronic registered delivery
- Electronic attestations of attributes
- Oversight by national trust-service supervisory authorities
Crucially, the two wallets are designed to interoperate. A natural example is a person acting on behalf of a company:
- The individual will authenticate using their EUDI Wallet
- The organisation’s Business Wallet will then provide the legally recognised mandate, establishing the individual’s authority and permitted actions
This dual-wallet mechanism preserves both user privacy and organisational governance.
A Foundation for Europe’s Future Digital Money Ecosystem
The proposals also align with Europe’s broader ambitions in the digital economy. The European Central Bank has indicated that the digital euro will depend on trusted digital identity rails and existing intermediaries.
In such a future:
- Citizens may authenticate through their EUDI Wallet
- Merchants and institutions may rely on their Business Wallet
This creates a cohesive architecture where trust services and digital identity form the backbone of financial innovation, payments, compliance, and cross-border digital interactions.
Together, the EU Business Wallet and the EUDI Wallet represent a significant step toward a more coherent and trusted digital framework for both individuals and organisations. As these tools mature, they are expected to streamline interactions, enhance regulatory compliance, and support the EU’s broader ambition of a secure and interoperable digital economy. Businesses, professionals, and public bodies should monitor these developments closely, as the shift toward wallet-based digital identity will increasingly shape operational, legal, and technological practices across the Union.