​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​OpenWallet Forum

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​OpenWallet Forum
1 - 2 July 2025
11:00–14:00
Beirut time
CICG Geneva
ITU

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​OpenWallet Forum - Multistakeholder collaboration on digital wallets 
 

Digital wallets are emerging as an all-in-one solution to add​re​ss friction in not only payments but also ID verification and access management. By adding scanning and document encryption to their capabilities, digital wallets can offer a secure virtual storage alternative for a lot of what is found in physical wallets today. Digital wallets today are mostly associated with holding payment credentials; but it is already expected they will also carry other credentials, such as digital ID, medical records, driving license, travel documents, education qualifications, and electronic signatures.​​​​

Digital wallets have become essential components of the digital public infrastructure (DPI), enabling individuals to access public digital services, prove their identity, make payments, and store various credentials, including digital identity, digital currencies, digital assets, medical records, driving licenses, travel documents, and education qualifications
 

The new WTSA- 24 Resolution 103​ Enhancing standardization activities for digital public infrastructure calls on the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) to promote the participation of the membership in ITU-T's activities on digital public infrastructure, including through the integration of dialogues to share experiences and lessons learned.
 

The ​main objectives are to:​​​ ​

  • Enhance global multistakeholder cooperation in developing and deploying multipurpose and globally interoperable digital wallets.
  • ​Empower government agencies, in concert with private sector organizations, standards development organizations, international organizations and other relevant stakeholders, to build and deploy their digital wallets in a cost-efficient, accelerated, globally interoperable, and integrated manner.​

​To achieve the above objectives, the activities of the OpenWallet Forum are focused on the following main components:

  • The Government Consultative Committee (GCC),​​
  • Annual OpenWallet Forum High Level Panel​​ Meeting and
  • Multistakeholder collaboration meetings (See the Save the Date below)​​
Event page

Government Consultative Committee

​ ​The Government Consultative Committee (GCC) convenes representatives from intergovernmental organizations invited as observers, and ITU Member States. ​​How to join the GCC? See ITU Circular 18

​T​he ​main roles of the GCC are to:​​​ ​

  • Discuss government and othe​r public policy interests and concerns regarding digital wallets.
  • ​Recording and summarizing diverse views on various public policy issues impacting digital wallets; and
  • Encouraging international and multistakeholder collaboration to share knowledge and best practices to explore opportunities and challenges related to digital wallets.

​​The GCC members established the leadership team by consensus at the meeting on 27th February 2025.
 

  • ​​Co-chairs 
     
    • Rolf Rauschenbach, Federal Office of Justice, Switzerland
    • Armando Manzueta, Deputy Minister of Public Innovation and Technology, Dominican Republic
       
  • Vice Chairs [Europe Region]
     
    • ​​​​​David Magard, Senior Advisor, Swedish Companies Registration Office, Sweden​​
    • Rob Brand, Senior Policy Officer, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Netherlands​
  • ​​​​Vice Chair [Africa Region]​
    • Alfred Mmoto, Deputy Director General for ICT, Ministry of Communications and Digital Technologies, South Africa
       

​
 

OpenWallet Forum High Level Panel Meeting

The OpenWallet Forum High Level Panel meeting is an annual event. Its main objectives are to align stakeholders on critical questions such as consumer choice, inclusion and ensure ongoing support and policy guidance for the OpenWallet Forum work.  

The stakeholders would include high-profile and top executives from Intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, standards development organizations, governments, and the OpenWallet Foundation members. ​
 

The first edition of the OpenWallet Forum High Level Panel event was held on 22 January 2025 in Davos and was hosted by the Swiss Confederation, joinlty with ITU and OpenWallet Foundation (see the programme​ for more information). ​​A ​​Call for A​​​ction on global digital trust was an outcome of the event. ​
 


 

Multistakeholder Meetings

​​Multistakeholder meetings bring together the GCC members, ITU membership, the members of OpenWallet Foundation, intergovernmental organizations, standards development organizations (SDOs), and the industry players in digital wallets to discuss policies and technical requirements for digital wallets, share lessons learned, facilitate a common understanding of how to maximize opportunities, address challenges, and advance global interoperability. 

 The Multistakeholder Meetings will help improve the understanding of:
 

  • The interplay of difference technical standards;
  • Security requirements for software and hardware for digital wallets;
  • Best practices for countries with less developed digital wallet infrastructure;
  • ​Policies and trust frameworks to enable cross-border interoperability for digital wallets and
  • An open ecosystem that supports users' choice, while protecting users' privacy and security.​

The outputs of the Multistakeholder Meetings will contribute to the work of the GCC. The OpenWallet Forum will publish a report on the outcomes of each Multistakeholder Meeting.
 


 

Countries: Switzerland