Google has announced updates to Google Wallet at Money20/20 Europe, expanding digital ID capabilities and introducing a new direct checkout experience.
Google Wallet's digital ID functionality, which allows users to verify their identity and age without disclosing unnecessary personal data, is set to become available in select EU member states this summer. The capability had previously been rolled out in Brazil, India, Singapore, and Taiwan.
Alongside the geographic expansion, Google is extending digital age credentials through partnerships with private issuers: Sparkasse Bank has been named as the first national credential partner for EU age assurance. Through this integration, Sparkasse customers will be able to confirm they meet age requirements via Google Wallet without exposing personal details such as name, address, or date of birth. In addition, Google has also indicated that it plans to bring the same capability to additional issuers and markets in the future.
New checkout product and authentication improvements
On the payments side, Google is introducing Google Pay direct checkout, which surfaces a customer's saved Google Wallet payment options directly on a retailer's checkout page. The product is described as a turnkey solution for merchants and is currently available to merchants using Airwallex, with support for Adyen-based merchants expected to follow. Google has stated it intends to scale the feature with partners globally, though no specific timeline has been provided.
For European markets specifically, Google is also rolling out an updated version of its Secure Payment Authentication (SPA) feature, designed to reduce friction in the strong customer authentication steps that EU regulations require during online checkout. According to internal testing cited by Google, the updated SPA feature reduced authentication time by 50% and increased conversion rates by 3%. The rollout will involve Visa, Checkout.com, Autopay, and Adyen, initially in the UK and Poland, in the coming months.
The SPA feature is relevant in the context of the EU's Payment Services Directive, which mandates strong customer authentication for online transactions. Merchants operating in Europe have long cited these verification steps as a source of checkout abandonment, making streamlined authentication a commercially significant improvement alongside its compliance function.
Taken together, the announcements position Google Wallet as a platform addressing both identity and payment infrastructure for consumers and retailers, with a focus on reducing data exposure for users while maintaining regulatory compliance for merchants.
