This article focuses on the strategic opportunities and value of the EBW stemming from its operatinoalisation by the different stakeholders, and it is the fourth of the four-part analysis on the topic. For the rest of articles, you can visit:
While the European Business Wallet is often described through policy language and compliance objectives, its real value depends on how stakeholders operationalise it. The shift toward verifiable, machine-readable organisational data opens new strategic horizons across regulation, market design, infrastructure, and industrial automation.
Below are strategic opportunities that can accelerate meaningful adoption across the public sector, industry ecosystems and service providers.
Companies that treat the EBW as a digital mailbox or document container will gain marginal efficiency. On the contrary, companies that will redesign processes around attestation exchange instead of document exchange will gain exponential value.
Thus, strategic advantage will accrue to organisations that embed trust flows into their operational systems rather than treating wallets as external tools.
The main unit of information in the EBW will be the attestation. Attestations and cryptographic key management are closely tighed, since attestations are cryptographically provable and contain cryptographic integrity controls. However, most companies lack internal processes for cryptographic key management.
Effective cryptographic key management requires governance frameworks, access policies, and integration into enterprise identity systems. Large organisations may internalise this but, SMEs might need managed service layers.
Not all credentials deliver equal impact. Businesses should identify which attestations unlock:
Authorities spend excessive effort reviewing documents already issued by other authorities. Wallet-based attestations allow validation to occur automatically, shifting the burden of proof away from human review.
This will likely require:
When implemented properly, compliance becomes an input, not an administrative process.
Adoption accelerates when value precedes obligation. This can beachieved by ensuring:
Trust service providers, wallet vendors, and infrastructure builders will play a dominant role in operationalising the EBW.
Strategic directions include:
A key opportunity is becoming the connective layer between existing digital systems and verifiable credential ecosystems.
The European Business Wallet has the potential to reshape how organisations operate across borders and sectors. If implemented ambitiously, it can move Europe beyond digital administration into a data-driven Digital Single Market where trust is programmable and compliance is automated.
However, this outcome is not guaranteed. The EBW will only succeed if:
The real measure of success will be whether the EBW becomes not just a better way to exchange documents, but the trust fabric powering EU’s next decade of economic innovation.
If Europe seizes this moment, the EBW could become a cornerstone of a more resilient, integrated, and technologically sovereign future, not just a regulatory milestone.
