Looking beyond password-less authentication to securing an interoperable identity wallet ecosystem, the FIDO Alliance has set sights on making digital credentials just as trusted and use-friendly to users.
They have embarked on a major new initiative after uniting hundreds of organisations and industries spanning technology, financial services, and government, to work towards a passwordless future, creating open FIDO specifications.
Announced today, the effort will be led by the Alliance’s newly formed Digital Credentials Working Group, which aims to simplify online and in-person identification by enabling trusted, interoperable digital wallets worldwide.
FIDO CEO Andrew Shikiar said the organisation now intends to bring a “proven, collaborative model” to the adjacent digital credentials landscape, working closely with partners including, “EMVCo, ISO, OpenID Foundation, and W3C to align a fragmented ecosystem”.
Governments are accelerating digital ID programmes, with the European Union planning to provide a digital identity wallet to all citizens by the end of 2026.
Adoption has been slowed by inconsistent frameworks and a lack of end-to-end certification and FIDO says it intends to address those barriers by defining technical specifications and creating wallet certification programmes.
Industry groups welcomed the announcement, highlighting opportunities to improve privacy, security and interoperability across credential exchange, digital payments, and identity applications. Leaders from organisations such as AAMVA, the OpenID Foundation, W3C, the OpenWallet Foundation and EMVCo said FIDO’s involvement will strengthen standards and accelerate deployment of trusted digital identity solutions.
