Google has announced updates for Google Wallet at Money 20/20 Europe, expanding its focus on secure digital identity and payment tools for consumers and retailers.
The platform is positioned as a digital hub for payment credentials, digital IDs, receipts, loyalty passes, and related items, while giving users control over their personal data and enabling secure transactions.
Digital IDs and privacy-preserving verification
Google Wallet allows users to verify age and identity in a secure way without sharing sensitive personal details. The system is designed to reduce data exposure during online verification by avoiding the need to share information such as:
- Name
- Address
- Date of birth
Google has already launched digital ID support in Brazil, India, Taiwan, and the U.K., and is now extending ID capabilities to select European Union member states. The feature is aimed at enabling secure identity and age checks while maintaining user privacy.
Age verification through trusted issuers
Google is expanding digital age verification through partnerships with financial institutions. A key early partner is Sparkasse Bank, which enables customers to verify age using Google Wallet securely.
This approach allows businesses to confirm age eligibility without accessing personal identity data, helping reduce sensitive data sharing during transactions while maintaining compliance requirements. Google also plans to expand this capability to more issuers and customers over time.
Google Pay direct checkout
Google is introducing Google Pay direct checkout, which enables users to complete payments using Wallet-stored credentials directly on merchant checkout pages. This reduces friction by minimizing redirects and simplifying the payment flow compared to traditional checkout systems.
It works alongside existing tools such as the GPay button and autofill-based checkout.
Key availability includes:
- Select merchants using Airwallex
- Soon expanding to merchants using Adyen
- Planned broader global rollout with partners
Secure Payment Authentication (SPA)
Google is improving Secure Payment Authentication (SPA) to streamline online payment verification while maintaining regulatory compliance. It reduces friction caused by post-checkout verification steps commonly seen on European websites.
These include:
- One-time passwords (OTP)
- External identity verification redirects
According to Google’s testing, SPA reduces authentication time by 50% and increases conversions by 3%. The system is supported by Visa, Checkout.com, Autopay, and Adyen.
Availability
- Digital ID passes: Rolling out to select European Union member states in summer
- Age verification (Sparkasse): Rolling out in Europe for Sparkasse Bank customers
- Google Pay direct checkout: Available for select Airwallex merchants; expanding to Adyen merchants soon with global rollout planned
- Secure Payment Authentication (SPA): Rolling out in the U.K. and Poland in the coming months with Visa, Checkout.com, Autopay, and Adyen