BT and Visa announce successful first payments based on the EU Digital Identity Wallet 

Banca Transilvania and Visa have announced the successful implementation of the first real-world payments using the EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet), a mobile application for EU citizens to prove their identity online, access public/private services across the EU, and carry out secure transactions.

Identity cards, driving licenses, bank cards, educational certificates, etc. can all be stored in the EU Digital Identity Wallet. Access to services will mean renting a car, checking into a hotel, viewing plane tickets, opening a bank account, accessing cross-border health services, etc. in EU countries.

Part of the EU Digital ID Wallet Consortium (EU Digital Wallet Consortium), Banca Transilvania and Visa are helping to strengthen the European identity by being part of the initiative implementing this revolutionary project, together with more than 60 other institutionss, companies, universities, international government representatives and digital identity experts. BT is the only bank in Romania that is part of the consortium and the working group testing the functioning of the EU Digital Identity Wallet in terms of card payment authentication. 

EU Digital Identity Wallet test phase a success 

After a first phase in which the EU Digital ID Wallet Consortium contributed to the development of the European legislation and technical standards of the application, the project is now in the pilot phase of implementation and testing (Large Scale Pilots) by realizing real payments, following the plan of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union to offer digital identity services to EU citizens from the end of 2026.

The first digital wallet-based payment (provided by iGrant.ro, Sweden) with a Banca Transilvania Visa card was recently made for the purchase of a ferry ticket (from Fast Ferries, Greece). This was followed by successful payments in the form of donations to Via Transilvanica, a project of the Tășuleasa Social Association promoting Romania's historical, geographical, cultural and ethnic diversity.

It is a source of pride for Banca Transilvania, as a market leader in Romania, to be part of this historic project, which creates a common digital framework, developed on unique standards across the European Union, with the same identity verification, security and data protection rules. The EU Digital Identity Wallet will contribute to strengthening the European identity by developing a whole ecosystem ensuring interoperability and access to banking services. The initiative will help us to be more connected, more inclusive and enhance our sense of belonging to something great, aspirational and powerful in the world

Oana Ilaș
Deputy CEO Retail Banking
Banca Transilvania

More and more consumers are choosing to pay for goods and services or transfer money digitally, both at home and abroad, and want simple, fast and secure payment solutions, no matter where they are. Interoperability paves the way for such exceptional experiences, accelerating the development of a barrier-free payment ecosystem. At Visa, we believe that money doesn't need a passport, and together with Banca Transilvania we are committed to taking the digitization process further by supporting the European Digital Identity initiative, an important step towards simplifying payments and making transactions more secure.

Cătălin Crețu
General Manager for Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia
Visa