Your wallet, your bank, one secure experience. Payments & Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) allows citizens to access banking services and make payments directly from their Digital Identity Wallet securely, easily, and in full compliance with European standards.
What is Strong Customer Authentication?
Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) is an EU security requirement for confirming a user’s identity when logging into online banking or making a payment.
With the European Digital Identity Wallets, citizens can authenticate themselves and authorize transactions using verifiable credentials instead of traditional passwords or card readers.
The Payment and Banking EUDIW Extension (PBEE) framework developed in Aptitude defines how these wallet-based payment features work consistently across Europe, combining ease of use, privacy, and high-level security.
What Aptitude is testing
Aptitude’s Work Package 6 tests how the European Digital Identity Wallets can support banking and payment features through the PBEE Framework.
Two main use cases are being explored:
- UC1 – Banking: Authentication and access to bank services in compliance with PSD2/PSD3 regulations (login and SCA for transactions).
- UC2 – Payment: Secure merchant-initiated payments (online and in-store) using SEPA A2A transfers, domestic schemes or cards.
These pilots involve banks, wallet providers, payment service providers (PSP), and merchants to ensure interoperability, fraud prevention and Digital Euro readiness.
Coordinated by DSGV (Germany)
Main partners: Italy, Portugal
Key contributors: ISP (Intesa Sanpaolo), SIBS FPS, Aricoma, Bank iD, GRNET, ANTS, Ingenico, PagoPA, InfoCert, AMA IP, Worldline, BNP Paribas, BPCE, Crédit Agricole SA, Sopra Steria, EPI Company, COI, KIR, VDAA, Diia
How it works
1️⃣ The wallet is registered as a Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) method with the bank.
2️⃣ When logging in or confirming a payment, the user approves the operation via their wallet.
3️⃣ The transaction is validated in real time, without sharing unnecessary data.
The wallet becomes a trusted gateway for payments and banking, combining security, privacy and simplicity.
SCA lead
Benefits for users and service providers
| For citizens | For public authorities & service providers |
| Use the wallet for payments and banking services 💳 | Simplified authentication and fraud reduction 🔐 |
| Secure and user-controlled authentication 🛡️ | Seamless integration with EUDI wallet standards 🔗 |
| Faster checkouts and login experiences ⚡ | Compliance with PSD2/PSD3, EBA guidelines and Digital Euro readiness 📘 |
