The Payments Association at GDC26: digital identity and payments

10 September 2026

Digital identity

Kevin Meijer represented the Dutch Payments Association and WE BUILD at the Global Digital Collaboration Conference (GDC26)(opens in new window) in Geneva. Together with Laurent Bailly from Visa, he presented the work on the use of the European digital identity wallet (EUDI Wallet) for card payments.

Man spreekt achter een lessenaar met microfoon en maakt een handgebaar tijdens een zakelijke presentatie in een congreszaal.

The conference brought together some 2,000 participants from around the world who are working on digital identity, payments and the associated infrastructure and standards. Among them were representatives from banks, payment companies, technology firms, governments and standardisation organisations.

Kevin and Laurent jointly lead the Consumer Payments division within WE BUILD(opens in new window) . Their presentation was followed by a panel discussion and a live demonstration. Kevin moderated the panel.

Digital identity and payments are converging

A digital wallet is not just about proving who someone is. The same technology can also play a role in opening a bank account, logging in, giving consent, signing documents and making payments.

Topics such as passkeys, Digital Payment Credentials(opens in new window) , DC API and digital proof documents were on the agenda during the conference.

A key question raised during the conference was how different wallets, standards, browsers and payment solutions work together. Individual components may work well on their own, but they must also be compatible with one another. This interoperability is also a key focus within WE BUILD: solutions are linked together and tested.

Comprehensibility and trust require attention

Alongside the technical possibilities, Kevin sees a major challenge in how they are used. Do people understand what is happening? Are the applications accessible to those with lower digital literacy? And do users trust the technology? In his view, explaining these developments still requires a great deal of attention.

Control over digital infrastructure

Digital sovereignty was also a recurring theme. How can countries and regions gain greater control over their digital infrastructure and reduce unwanted dependencies, without creating isolated digital islands? After all, identity and payments must continue to function across borders. Dependence on large technology companies complicates this balancing act.

AI agents and payments

Another much-discussed topic was ‘agent-based payments’: AI that acts on a user’s behalf and, for example, makes a purchase. This raises questions about consent, spending limits and responsibility when an AI buys something other than what the user intended.

This development is still in its infancy. According to Kevin, it requires many of the same techniques currently being developed for digital identity and payments.