The FIDO Alliance on Thursday launched a new digital credentials initiative designed to accelerate and secure an interoperable identity-wallet ecosystem, marking a significant milestone since its push to eliminate passwords. The initiative will operate through a new Digital Credentials Working Group (DCWG) composed of FIDO members and global standards partners.
The Alliance said the effort aims to bring the same industry-wide coordination that drove passkey adoption to the fragmented digital-credentials market. “The world is now embracing the simplicity and security of passkeys… We’re now aiming to bring that same proven, collaborative model to the adjacent digital credentials landscape,” FIDO CEO Andrew Shikiar said.
Digital credentials are gaining momentum as governments deploy national identity programs, including the EU’s Digital Identity Wallet rollout across 27 member states by 2026 and U.S. state motor-vehicle agencies issuing mobile driver’s licenses to more than 5 million Americans. But adoption has lagged due to inconsistent standards and a lack of end-to-end certification.
FIDO will focus on three workstreams to address these gaps: certifying digital wallets for security, privacy, and interoperability; developing new specifications that complement protocols from OpenID Foundation, ISO, and W3C; and improving usability and relying-party enablement to drive adoption. Initial deliverables are expected in 2026.
Standards bodies welcomed the move. Gail Hodges, executive director of the OpenID Foundation, called the initiative “an important step toward advancing a secure and interoperable identity ecosystem.” W3C President Seth Dobbs said broad cooperation is necessary to ensure digital credentials work across platforms. EMVCo and the OpenWallet Foundation also voiced support.
The Alliance said the goal is a globally aligned market where digital wallets handle credentials as securely and effortlessly as today’s passkeys—helping secure the full identity lifecycle for consumers, businesses, and governments.
