EU Commission's call for evidence on European Business Wallet

The question

What is the new European Business Wallet and how could businesses benefit from it?

The key takeaway

The European Business Wallet marks a significant step toward harmonising digital regulatory compliance across the EU. By providing a secure, standardised framework for business identification, authentication, and data exchange with public administrations, it aims to reduce legal fragmentation, streamline cross-border procedures, and lower compliance burdens.

The background

As part of its 2025 work program, the European Commission announced plans to introduce a legislative proposal aimed at enhancing data exchange between businesses (B2B) and between businesses and governments (B2G). To support this objective, the Commission is proposing the creation of a European Business Wallet, building on the digitalisation efforts initiated with the European Digital Identity Wallet for natural persons. The European Business Wallet is intended to streamline digital B2B and B2G interactions by enabling secure data exchange and reducing frictions in cross-border transactions. Targeted stakeholders include large corporations, SMEs, IT service providers, industry and professional associations, national and business registers and Chambers of Commerce, public administrations and other non-private bodies.

The development

On 15 May 2025, the European Commission opened a call for evidence to gather feedback on the proposed European Business Wallet. This initiative is designed to provide a seamless digital environment that enables businesses to interact efficiently with public administrations across the EU, minimising the administrative burden.

The European Business Wallet will feature three core functions:

• a universally accepted system for digital identification and authentication of businesses and public administrations
• secure storage, sharing, and transmission of data and essential documents, and
• an integrated platform for fulfilling regulatory requirements, including the submission of information and the receipt of notifications from public administrations.

The Commission envisions the European Business Wallet as a tool to significantly reduce costs, enhance business communication, and facilitate safer, more streamlined data sharing.

The consultation seeks to gather detailed insights into the specific challenges, related to identification, authentication and data sharing, which companies face in managing digital transactions, compliance, and cross-border interactions. In addition to this call for evidence, consultation activities will include expert groups, structured interviews, technical workshops, and targeted questionnaires.

Why is this important?

The European Business Wallet represents a significant step towards a more integrated and efficient digital business environment in the EU. It would allow companies to store and share verified credentials like licenses, tax records and registrations, reducing paperwork, speeding up processes like opening bank accounts or bidding for contracts, and cutting compliance costs. The greatest impacts would be in regions with strong cross-border trade, benefiting business hubs and SMEs enabling them to expand their business cross-border due to the lower costs and fewer resources required for regulatory compliance, while also increasing consumer trust in digital interactions.

Any practical tips?

The European Business Wallet proposal is expected to be published by the Commission in Q4 2025. However, businesses can begin preparation for adoption by organising their key credentials like VAT numbers, licenses, and certifications as they will need to be digitalised for secure sharing. Digitalising internal records will also ease future integration and improve the effectiveness of the European Business Wallet.