Every new technology follows a predictable adoption curve. Innovators lead the charge, early adopters follow, and eventually, once a technology takes root, even the most reluctant users embrace the change. The pace of adoption varies, depending on prevailing social attitudes and the intrinsic usefulness and usability of the technology—telephones took nearly a century to become ubiquitous, televisions 30 years, and smartphones less than a decade.
Now, digital signatures stand on the precipice of a significant shift, thanks to the emergence of Digital Identity Wallets.
Digital signatures: A 25-year journey to mainstream adoption
Despite being legally recognised in the EU for over 25 years, digital signatures have experienced slow adoption. Early users relied on smartcards and USB keys, but widespread uptake remained elusive for years.
The introduction of cloud signatures in 2014 provided a more flexible alternative, enabling digital signing without physical devices. However, despite a competitive market of over 200 Qualified Trust Service Providers (QTSPs) in Europe, the overall user base remains limited.
Why has digital signature adoption lagged?
- Complex onboarding: Acquiring a digital signing credential can be cumbersome, particularly in markets without well-established eID schemes. While some nations, like Belgium (Itsme) and Norway (BankID), have streamlined digital identity processes, others lag behind.
- Lack of mandatory use cases: Few industries mandate digital signatures, limiting their necessity. Even concerns over cybercrime, deepfakes, and post-quantum security threats have not compelled widespread adoption.
- Cost and convenience trade-offs: Many organisations opt for lower-trust electronic signatures over fully compliant digital signatures due to ease of use and cost considerations.
- Fragmented legal framework: the lack of a global regulatory framework means that the adoption curve is replicated outside Europe, where digital signature adoption is low beyond government interactions.
The rise of the Digital Identity Wallet
The introduction of Digital Identity Wallets over the next 12-36 months promises to transform the digital signature ecosystem and move us from a world of digital signature scarcity to abundance, with significantly improved usability and usefulness.
What is a Digital Identity Wallet?
A Digital Identity (ID) Wallet is a secure, mobile-based digital repository for identity documents and other verifiable credentials. And because the wallet resides on a smartphone and includes digital signature functionality by design, it will transform how we interact with online services.
Key benefits:
- Ease of use: Users can sign documents with a high-trust digital signature directly from their mobile device.
- Multi-functionality: Store identity documents, qualifications, employment records, and more.
- High trust: Designed to meet rigorous regulatory standards, government-endorsed wallets and commercial wallet offerings will offer a portable, reusable verified identity.
Digital Identity Wallets will expand digital signature use cases
Beyond improving usability, wallets will drive demand by expanding the range of use cases where digital signatures are required or beneficial.
Verifiable credentials: The key to digital signature adoption
Users will be able to store and share verifiable credentials, which attest to their identity, employment, academic qualifications, and other key attributes. This feature will streamline transactions across industries, from banking and healthcare to government services and private-sector agreements, and increase opportunities for digital signing to take place alongside use of a credential.
Types of Digital Identity Wallets
Not all wallets will be equal. The level of trust will depend on regulatory frameworks and the issuing entity:
- Government-issued Wallets: Will support national ID storage, enabling high-trust transactions like travel, government interactions, and secure business engagements.
- Private-sector Wallets: Tech giants like Apple and Google are developing wallets to store driving licences, facilitate logins, and enable digital payments.
- Hybrid models: Some wallets will bridge both sectors, offering a mix of functionalities.
Regardless of the type, Digital Identity Wallets will make high-trust digital signatures as easy as authenticating on a smartphone, shifting organisational preferences away from lower-security e-signatures.
Ascertia: Leading the way in the Digital Identity Wallet era
By late 2025, as standards and protocols are finalised, digital identity wallets will transition from demonstration projects to real-world implementation. Ascertia is at the forefront of this paradigm shift.
- Wallet-aware solutions: All Ascertia products will support integration with government and private-sector Digital Identity Wallets.
- Seamless user onboarding: Our technology will enable users to present their digital wallet credentials for real-time digital signatures and identity verification.
- Expanding trust frameworks: We will facilitate workflows that capture and verify credentials during the signing process, ensuring compliance and security.
- Credential issuance: Ascertia will enable organisations to issue verifiable credentials, allowing users to store and reuse their identity attributes.
The path forward: A new era for digital signaturesThe Digital Identity Wallet represents the hockey-stick moment for digital signature adoption. By removing usability barriers and embedding high-trust authentication within everyday workflows, organisations and individuals alike will soon experience the true potential of digital signing.
For businesses, governments, and individuals navigating an increasingly digital work, the question is no longer if digital signatures will become the norm—but when. And with Ascertia’s innovative solutions, the future is closer than ever.
Stay ahead of the curve—connect with Ascertia today to explore how our wallet-ready digital signature solutions can prepare your organisation for the future.
