EUDI wallet adoption: what it means for identity verification teams

TL;DR: 46% of European consumers abandoned a transaction because identity verification was too difficult or time-consuming, according to IDnow’s EUDI Wallet Consumer Survey, with abandonment rising to 54% among Millennials and 56% among Gen Z. The real control gap is not verification quality alone but a compliance-first model that makes every organisation start from scratch.

Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by IDnow: “The Identity Gap: Friction Vs Conversion. What the EUDI Wallet Will and Won’t Fix Tomorrow”.

By the numbers:

• 46% of European consumers abandoned a transaction because identity verification was too difficult or too time-consuming.
• 54% of Millennials abandoned a transaction because identity verification was too difficult or too time-consuming.
• 56% of Gen Z consumers abandoned a transaction because identity verification was too difficult or too time-consuming.

Key questions

Q: How can organisations reduce repeated identity verification without losing assurance?

A: By standardising identity evidence across systems so the same subject is not forced to re-prove identity at every touchpoint.

Q: Why do customers abandon identity verification even when they intend to transact?

A: Customers abandon verification when the process takes too long, repeats across providers, or asks for more data than the transaction requires.

Q: Why do identity verification controls affect customer conversion?

A: Identity controls affect conversion because every extra step adds friction to the onboarding journey.

Practitioner guidance

• Standardise verification reuse across channels Map where the same customer is forced through separate identity checks and eliminate duplicate evidence collection where regulatory rules allow it.
• Design for selective disclosure Limit each transaction to the attributes actually required, so customers can complete verification without over-sharing identity data.
• Align wallet acceptance with KYC controls Treat wallet credentials as one input to onboarding, then keep fraud signal review and exception handling in place for higher-risk cases.

Bottom line: Identity verification friction is no longer a pure UX issue because it directly affects completion rates and customer acquisition.

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