Roundtable 6: The Future of Digital Identity - The Perfect Storm

IMPORTANT- You can't attend unless you have a Nordic Fintech Week ticket. Buy tickets here*.

Intro to the Topic: Digital identity is emerging as one of the most strategically contested domains of the digital economy. From fraud prevention and user authentication to cross-border mobility and trust services, identity infrastructure underpins the next phase of digital transformation. The convergence of technological advancement (AI, biometrics, blockchain), regulatory momentum (eIDAS 2.0, the EU Digital Wallet), and escalating geopolitical tensions (EU vs. US vs. China) has created what many now call a “perfect storm.” This roundtable will dissect that storm.

At stake is not only user convenience or service efficiency, but digital sovereignty itself. Europe’s bid to establish its own digital identity stack, interoperable across member states and aligned with democratic values, is a response to rising dependency on non-European platforms. At the same time, financial institutions, given their centrality in KYC, trust, and authentication, play a pivotal role in shaping and deploying these identity solutions. With AI-powered fraud and synthetic identity threats on the rise, banks, insurers, and fintechs must balance usability with risk management, privacy, and ethical integrity.

A particularly complex and underappreciated dimension of this discussion is the divergence between digital identity for natural persons (individuals) and that for legal entities such as businesses, foundations, or non-profits. While the EU Digital Identity Wallet initiatives under eIDAS 2.0 primarily focus on personal identity, a parallel and increasingly urgent debate is now unfolding around the need for a robust European Business Wallet (EBW) framework. Business identity, and more broadly trusted business data sharing, introduce an entirely different set of requirements and risks—from organizational verification and digital signature authority to secure inter-company data flows across borders.

Some stakeholders view the EU’s data wallet vision as overly complex and potentially destined to become bureaucratic white elephants before they are even operationalized. Others, however, see a powerful opportunity to build scalable, interoperable business data infrastructure that fosters trust, transparency, and efficiency in financial and commercial interactions. Policymakers and business leaders alike are grappling with how the design of regulatory frameworks and technical standards directly shape economic viability – and how business models in turn are influencing emerging legal and governance architectures.

This roundtable will explore the global digital identity landscape, comparing regional strategies (e.g., EU, US, India, China), sectoral differences (retail vs. B2B), and the evolving role of financial services. We will examine the implications of AI on identity fraud and authentication; the promise and challenge of Europe’s eIDAS 2.0 and EU Digital Wallet initiatives; and how digital identity can serve as both an enabler of innovation and a bastion of sovereignty. Special focus will be given to the distinction between personal and business identity, and the regulatory, technological, and economic implications of enabling scalable digital identity solutions for legal entities.

Who Should Join: CIOs and Heads of Digital Identity, Policy Experts in Digital Sovereignty, Compliance and Risk Executives, Identity Verification Providers, Regtech and Fintech Founders, Government Digital Strategy Leaders, Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Specialists.

Engagement Protocol: Participate in a forward-looking, confidential dialogue under Chatham House rules, moderated by a recognized leader in identity and trust infrastructure. The session aims to foster strategic clarity and sectoral alignment across policy, financial services, and technology stakeholders.

When: Nordic Fintech Week

Duration: 2.0 hours

*NB! If you are from AWS, Banking Circle, BEC, Danske Bank, Kustom, Mastercard, Nexi, Nordea, Pega or Visa, please contact Marie-Louise Roth (mlr@copenhagenfintech.dk) before buying a ticket.