The economic meeting ETEKIN, held today at the BAT Tower in Bilbao under the title "Digital Euro and European Wallet: Challenges and Opportunities", has analyzed the future possibilities and challenges of digital payments and identity. Participants included Xabier Arrieta and Óscar Guadilla, from the Basque Government's IT Society EJIE, and Alaitz Zabala, a professor from the University of Deusto.
The event highlighted the increasing presence of digital payments and identifications in daily life. The development of the digital euro and digital wallets opens new opportunities, but also raises questions related to privacy, security, trust, and the digital divide.
Xabier Arrieta, from EJIE, based on the NIK experience, explained the utility of these tools in everyday life. Beyond having the health card or sports center access on one's mobile, he emphasized that linking digital identity with various services can simplify interactions with the administration. "Taking medication, passing through the sports center turnstile, opening the trash bin... This is already in motion and society uses it daily," he stated. Furthermore, connecting digital identity with a mobile phone could allow for renting a car using a digital license or enrolling in job offers with a digital university degree, among other possibilities.
For his part, Oskar Guadilla discussed the technological approach, security, and interoperability. "People will be able to see what data they have shared and with whom. They will also have the opportunity to delete shared data. Nothing will be automatic; the user will have to accept their data," he explained. Guadilla added that technologies like "verifiable credentials", used in NIK, are already ready, and that a major European challenge will be to develop common standards and trust frameworks among different countries and administrations.
Alaitz Zabala, meanwhile, underscored the social and academic dimension of this transformation. In her view, "we are not facing a mere digitization of documents and payment methods, but a change in how we understand our identity and our relationships with institutions and companies." Therefore, she argued that privacy and control over data will be fundamental, but also that measures must be taken to ensure that individuals facing difficulties using these digital tools are not excluded.
The speakers agreed that trust, privacy, and security are key elements for the dissemination of these technologies. At the same time, they stressed that digitalization also carries the risk of deepening the digital divide and that digital services should not be the sole means of identification.
The roundtable discussion aimed to promote the topic from various perspectives and was moderated by journalist Joseba Olagarai. To conclude, a small lunch was offered, allowing participants to exchange opinions and consolidate their network.
