Berlin/Salzburg, September 10, 2026 – The Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernization (BMDS) is driving forward the introduction of the European digital identity wallet. Federal Minister Dr. Karsten Wildberger invited selected launch partners to a strategy roundtable in Berlin on Wednesday. As an Austrian technology provider, the Salzburg-based RegTech company sproof is demonstrating market-ready applications for the nationwide launch on January 2, 2027. Together with Paracelsus Medical University (PMU) as the German relying party, sproof is demonstrating how cross-border processes work without media breaks.
With the rollout of the EUDI Wallet on January 2, 2027, the European Union is establishing a unified foundation for digital transactions. Germany is using this requirement as an opportunity to fundamentally modernize its own identity infrastructure. The previous online ID function of the German identity card never managed to gain widespread acceptance in the daily lives of the general public. With the EUDI Wallet, the federal government is now pushing to close the strategic gap in the European digitalization landscape.
The fact that this initiative has now garnered significant attention in day-to-day politics and public discourse is largely due to Minister Wildberger’s efforts. This new beginning is supported by organizations such as Common Codes GmbH, a modern, well-organized innovation agency that is breathing new life into German digital policy. The goal is to break down bureaucratic barriers and focus on practical software.
Real-world workflows instead of theoretical concepts
At the ministerial roundtable held at the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernization, Minister Wildberger discussed the current status of the wallet with representatives from the business community. At the subsequent press conference, the official launch partners were introduced. sproof plays a central bridging role between the government’s wallet infrastructure and the operational realities of businesses. Through sproof Ident and the integrated Unified EUDI Wallet Connector, businesses gain straightforward access to the new identity space. In the future, educational and employment records, powers of attorney, and age verification can be embedded directly into existing contractual processes.
“As a binational university with campuses in Salzburg and Nuremberg, we need digital processes that work across national borders and are legally compliant,” emphasizes Daniel Novis, CIO of Paracelsus Medical Private University (PMU). “The EUDI Wallet only realizes its full value if verifying entities, such as universities or employers, can read the data without any data discontinuities. Together with sproof, we are testing these processes in advance under real-world conditions.”
sproof connects companies across borders to the wallet ecosystem
“A digital wallet only provides value when companies can integrate it seamlessly into their day-to-day operations,” explains Dr. Clemens Brunner, co-founder and CEO of sproof. “Germany is now making noticeable strides in digital identity. We’re paving the way for companies to enter the wallet ecosystem and are already testing specific use cases under real-world conditions. The fact that we, as an Austrian partner, are on the ministerial stage underscores our role in ensuring seamless processes throughout the DACH region.”
The integration of sproof also ensures that cross-border processes between Austria and Germany run smoothly from the very beginning. sproof already consolidates over 30 European identity verification methods into a standardized REST API.
Technological Independence from U.S. Infrastructure
A key focus of the ministerial initiative is data sovereignty. Numerous identification and signature procedures continue to rely on cloud infrastructures operated by U.S. technology companies. These infrastructures are subject to the U.S. Cloud Act. This U.S. law requires providers to grant government authorities access to data even if the servers are located in Europe.
sproof systematically eliminates this risk through a purely European value chain. The entire platform is developed exclusively in Europe and operated on European servers. In addition, sproof embeds qualified signatures and audit trails directly into the PDF document in a tamper-proof manner. As a result, documents remain permanently verifiable even without being tied to external cloud systems.
“European trust services must not open any legal backdoors for third countries,” emphasizes Dr. Fabian Knirsch, co-founder and CEO of sproof. “Anyone who processes sensitive documents, such as powers of attorney, needs verifiable immunity from access by third countries. We ensure that businesses and government agencies can use the January 2, 2027, deadline as a strategic efficiency lever without facing compliance risks.”
Link to the BMDS press release →
©BMDS/Jens Oellermann
More photos at https://www.picdrop.com/bmds/mfVqVt4xVz
About sproof GmbH
sproof GmbH, headquartered in Salzburg and Vienna, is the European expert in digital signature solutions and identity verification. With its modular platform, sproof combines both processes into a seamless, legally compliant workflow. The goal: to help companies in Europe fully digitize their contract and onboarding processes—with maximum trust, eIDAS compliance, strict data protection, and a clear focus on European digital sovereignty. sproof’s flexibly combinable product modules—including sproof sign, sproof Fastlane, sproof Ident, sproof Widget, sproof Validate, and sproof eID Hub—can be integrated as a ready-to-use web application, via API integration, or directly into Office tools.
Contact Information for sproof
Head of Marketing
Urstein Süd 19/2, 5412 Salzburg
Wohllebengasse 12-14, 1040 Vienna
+43 5 0423 33
bennet.dietrich@sproof.com
