Most KYC platforms verify a person by scanning a document: OCR the passport, check the security features, compare the photo, done. eIDAS 2.0 and the EU Digital Identity Wallet are built around a different object entirely a cryptographically signed credential that a user holds and presents, verified by checking a signature and a trust chain, not by inspecting a photo of a physical ID. Those are two different verification models, and the regulatory timeline that forces the switch is no longer theoretical.
The Timeline That Makes This Non-Optional
eIDAS 2.0 (Regulation (EU) 2024/1183) entered into force in 2024, requiring every EU Member State to offer citizens a government-backed European Digital Identity Wallet.
By the end of 2026, Member States are expected to have EUDI Wallets available, with cross-border interoperability testing already underway in several countries.
By December 2027, large regulated private-sector relying parties banks, fintechs, insurers, telecoms are required to accept the EUDI Wallet for authentication.
