Skip to content
An official website of the OECD. Find out more
Created by the Public Governance Directorate

This website was created by the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI), part of the OECD Public Governance Directorate (GOV).

How to validate authenticity

Validation that this is an official OECD website can be found on the Innovative Government page of the corporate OECD website.

Proof of Business

A problem for companies and owners of companies is that they need to engage with many different authorities to conduct their business. Instead of building solutions in a siloed approach we aim to build into the ecosystem by integrating different actors and enabling the business to control their own data using blockchains and digital wallets. This is both a new approach and use of a combination of new technologies that benefits the companies.

Innovation Summary

Innovation Overview

A problem for companies and owners of companies is that they need to engage with many different authorities to conduct their business. There is also a problem with lack of trust between companies, especially cross border, since there are no standardized way for digital identity for companies and relevant credentials/data that the companies want to show each other before and when they conduct business. There might also be lack of trust between institutions in different countries as they do not understand each others semantics and systems.

Instead of building solutions in a siloed approach we aim to build into the ecosystem by integrating different actors and enabling the business to control their own data using blockchains and digital wallets. This enables companies to conduct cross border business digitally in a much smother way as they can use trusted data/verifable credentials and effective the business registers work cross border as we can automize work that we do when it comes to guaranteeing correct data. Our test case is focused on procurement but the techstack and possibilities can be used whenever you need to prove something digitally that has to do with a company.

This is both a new approach and use of a combination of new technologies that benefits the companies.We are now creating services in a cross border pilot between Finland, Norway and Sweden. Our case has also gain a lot of attraction which enables us to lead a consortium for a EU large scale pilot on digital wallets for organisations which is how we envisage that we will scale the project. In this we partner with many private companies such as VISA, Nextline, Open Peppol, BankID, IDUnion.

Innovation Description

What Makes Your Project Innovative?

We are working agile in the way that we contentiously add new functionalities (and do away with ones that are not needed). We started out with some technology mostly into blockchain but now working more on digital wallets. This can only be done because we have an agile and competent group but also as we are very inclusive.

We work with other countries almost from the start (Canada, Finland for example), we are follow by a university that provides us with new insights and we regularly hold workshops with users (companies) and others.

We are working very outreaching and using foresight (especially on regulation and technologies) with make us fast moving. Also we do integrate new technologies, in a test-environment, rapidly in a way the normally would not happen. The combination of all of this makes us thought leaders on organisations identity in Europe in the public sector.

What is the current status of your innovation?

We are now trying to implement, in a pilot, with two other countries. The next step is to scale it to the EU-level in a large scale pilot if we win the grant agreement (which we should have a good chance of).

Innovation Development

Collaborations & Partnerships

We work with government officials from Tax, procurement, digital identity - we have people from other agencies working as team members with makes the case stronger and our competence higher. We work cross border almost from the start. We work with several companies, SME that develop some of the tech, big companies such as Avast (soon Norton) that helps us develop and keep ahead. Companies to understand their needs.

Users, Stakeholders & Beneficiaries

  • Companies - understand, learn and integrate with the new ecosystem and can therefore make new products and services.
  • Goverment agencies - same but also enables us to work better together so that we can provide services that are not made in solios.

Innovation Reflections

Results, Outcomes & Impacts

The impact is quite clear as we now spearhead the ecosystem in Europe when it comes to digital wallets for organisations. But the real results will come after the regulations and infrastructures are set in to place. We however are part of defining the results. When the cross border pilot and the EU-pilot is ready we will see the numbers but we are sure (from our analysis) that we will reduce the time used for compliance in B-B and B-G very much and that is the minimum positive results.

Challenges and Failures

There was a aim to use blockchain which was a bad premise as we must look at values and the ecosystem instead of the technology. However we pivoted quite soon out from that and took the good things and added more. The other challenges are finding the time and the right people especially when it comes to tech-development and understand the regulatory and policy landscape, so that we do not build things that cannot be used in practice.

Conditions for Success

  • Strong high level support.
  • Funding.
  • Ecosystem with a mix of players such as SME tech companies, big companies, agencies that want to innovate.
  • The right mix of people in the project.
  • Deep understanding of the ecosystem in all aspects.

Replication

In other countries they are following it.

Lessons Learned

How foresight is fundamental to innovation, mixed/cross-functional teams likewise. Agile processes and high level committment both when it comes to time and funding. Work open and invite instead of doing work only in the place where you are.

Anything Else?

Here is a link to the consortium that is one of the outcomes of the project: https://eudiwalletconsortium.org/ and where we hope to scale.

Thank you for taking your time!

Year: 2022
Level of Government: National/Federal government

Status:

  • Developing Proposals - turning ideas into business cases that can be assessed and acted on
  • Implementation - making the innovation happen
  • Evaluation - understanding whether the innovative initiative has delivered what was needed

Innovation provided by:

Date Published:

18 January 2023

Join our community:

It only takes a few minutes to complete the form and share your project.