G+D Netcetera's brIDge Named Gold Winner in Juniper Research's Best Digital Identity Platform Category

We are proud to announce that brIDge, a part of G+D Netcetera's Digital Identity Platform, has been named Gold Winner in the "Best Digital Identity Platform 2026" category of the Juniper Research Future Digital Awards. The recognition reflects the role identity platforms will play in helping financial institutions connect onboarding, authentication, compliance and payment experiences to Europe's emerging digital identity ecosystem.  

The timing is significant

Across Europe, organisations are preparing for the introduction of the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) under eIDAS 2.0. The initiative will allow citizens to store and share verified digital credentials through interoperable digital wallets, while banks and other regulated organisations will be required to accept them. Yet despite growing attention around the EUDI Wallet, many organisations remain in the early stages of preparation. Research referenced across G+D Netcetera's digital identity programmes indicates strong market intent, but many institutions are still evaluating how digital identity should fit into their long-term architecture.  

This reflects a broader reality: supporting digital identity is not simply an integration project.

Identity touches onboarding, authentication, fraud prevention, compliance, payments and customer experience. Introducing wallet-based credentials into that landscape requires organisations to connect an evolving European identity ecosystem to systems that were never originally designed for it. Wallets will launch at different speeds across markets, standards will continue to mature, and institutions must be able to support both new and existing identity models throughout the transition.

This is the challenge for which brIDge was recognised.

brIDge acts as a digital identity orchestration platform between financial institutions and the wider identity ecosystem. Through a single integration point, it connects EUDI Wallets, national electronic identities and other verified identity sources with existing banking environments. Rather than requiring institutions to rebuild onboarding, IAM, CIAM and KYC systems, brIDge is designed to help them extend and connect what already exists.  

The platform is particularly relevant because the transition to digital identity will not happen uniformly. Wallet adoption will vary across regions, implementation timelines will differ, and many organisations will need to support multiple identity mechanisms simultaneously. One of the key roles of an orchestration platform is enabling institutions to operate across this mixed environment while maintaining a consistent customer experience and compliance posture.

But the opportunity extends far beyond compliance.

Historically, identity verification has often been treated as a one-time event. A customer proves who they are, the check is completed and the process ends. Digital wallets make it possible to think differently. A trusted identity established during onboarding can potentially support authentication, account recovery, KYC updates, payment authorisation and future digital services. The long-term value lies not in a single verification event, but in creating reusable trust across the customer lifecycle.  

The economic impact could be substantial. Traditional onboarding frequently relies on document inspection, manual review and fraud controls designed to assess whether a submitted identity document is genuine. Wallet-based credentials allow institutions to verify cryptographically protected credentials issued by trusted authorities. Industry sandbox results referenced in G+D Netcetera's award submission suggest significant reductions in onboarding costs while also helping reduce exposure to manipulated documents and synthetic identity attacks.  

One reason brIDge was recognised as a category-leading platform is its position at the intersection of identity and payments. Identity is increasingly becoming part of payment infrastructure itself. Authentication, Strong Customer Authentication, payment authorisation and digital identity are no longer independent conversations. As financial institutions explore wallet-enabled customer journeys, decisions made in identity architecture increasingly affect payment security, fraud management and customer experience. This convergence is one reason G+D Netcetera's combination of digital identity expertise and payment authentication capabilities is particularly relevant for financial institutions navigating this transition.  

The recognition by Juniper Research also reflects practical implementation work. In 2026, G+D Netcetera delivered a production proof of concept with a German retail bank, demonstrating EUDI Wallet-based registration as an authentication factor alongside Strong Customer Authentication-compliant login in a live banking environment. At a time when many organisations remain in planning and architecture-review phases, projects such as these provide valuable insight into how digital identity can operate within real banking systems 

Being named Gold Winner in Juniper Research's Best Digital Identity Platform category is an important milestone for G+D Netcetera. More importantly, it validates a challenge that many financial institutions are beginning to confront: how to introduce trusted digital identity into existing environments without creating new silos and new complexity. As adoption of digital wallets accelerates across Europe, success will depend not only on accepting new credentials, but on integrating them into customer journeys, compliance processes and payment flows in a way that remains scalable for years to come.  

Today, the EUDI Wallet is often discussed as a regulatory requirement. In the years ahead, it is likely to be viewed as something much larger: a new layer of trust infrastructure for the European digital economy. brIDge was built to help organisations connect to that future through a single platform, and we are honoured that Juniper Research has recognised that vision.