The Hidden Architecture Behind Digital Wallet Security

Digital wallets have transformed the way people shop, both online and in-store. While much of the spotlight has been on e-commerce, physical retail remains a major part of the consumer experience. And within this space, we’re seeing another profound shift: the rise of the digital wallet as the bridge between physical and digital commerce. 

Whether paying with Apple Pay, PayPal or Vipps MobilePay, consumers increasingly expect payment methods that are both seamless and secure. What began as a convenience feature has evolved into a trusted gateway for transactions, identity and access. 

How the Opening of iPhone NFC Transformed Mobile Payments

While Android has long supported third-party wallets, Apple’s 2024 decision to open its NFC capabilities marked a pivotal turning point. Suddenly, iPhone users could choose from a wider range of wallets, creating a more open, competitive environment for innovation across platforms. 

The impact was immediate: 

• Vipps MobilePay became the first non-Apple wallet to offer tap-to-pay on iPhone – powered by Thales’ D1 platform. Within just 24 hours, more than 200,000 users activated their cards. 
• In Germany, PayPal soon followed, launching its own NFC wallet for in-store iPhone payments, quickly reaching five million active users. 
• By mid-2025, Curve Pay debuted on iOS – again supported by Thales – bringing a unified wallet experience to six million European users. 

Today, these wallets support both local and international payment networks such as Mastercard and Visa, enabling seamless payments at home and abroad. Just as importantly, they’re available across operating systems, ensuring accessibility and choice for all consumers. 

Digital Wallets Beyond Payments: The Rise of Trusted Digital Identity

This new wave of innovation extends far beyond payments. Digital wallets now store IDs, boarding passes, loyalty credentials and even car keys. Increasingly, they’re becoming a trusted interface for digital identity – a bridge between our physical and digital lives. 

But with every new feature that enhances convenience, the attack surface also expands. As wallets evolve into gateways for everyday life, any compromise could have consequences that go well beyond financial loss. 

That’s why digital trust architecture – the invisible framework of encryption, authentication and credential management – has become the foundation of secure digital innovation. 

Building Trusted Wallets: How Thales and Vipps MobilePay Lead the Way

Vipps MobilePay is a powerful example of how innovation and trust can coexist. Working with Thales, Vipps became the first third-party wallet to enable NFC payments on iPhone, powered by the cloud-native D1 platform. 

The rollout was rapid: 200,000 activations in 24 hours and over one million users within four months. Integration with Norway’s BankAxept scheme was soon followed by expansion to Mastercard and Visa, enabling international use. 

Thales’ D1 platform delivers secure tokenisation, lifecycle management, and scalability – proving that robust mobile payment security can be an enabler, not a barrier, to innovation. 

Inside Digital Wallet Security: How Cryptography Builds Consumer Trust

Behind every tap of a smartphone lies a choreography of cryptography: tokenisation, dynamic keys and mutual authentication – all working invisibly to protect data and preserve privacy. The challenge for industry leaders is to make security invisible but trust tangible. 

The seamless experience shoppers expect must rest on layers of cryptographic strength, verified credentials and privacy-by-design principles. 

At Thales, we focus on this convergence every day. From protecting biometrics to managing the lifecycle of digital credentials, we design systems that make trust both scalable and invisible – enabling innovation without compromising safety. 

The Future of Digital Wallets: Trust, Transparency and Global Access

Apple’s decision to open its NFC capabilities was a landmark moment. Yet the true transformation lies in what followed: cross-platform accessibility, interoperability and support for international payment schemes. This convergence empowers consumers – whatever their device or location – to enjoy secure, frictionless payments anywhere. 

Technology provides the framework, but people create the trust. Consumers need confidence that their data is handled with integrity; regulators need transparency; and enterprises must embed privacy at the design stage, not add it as an afterthought. 

With these principles in place, openness can become assurance, and competition can drive collaboration. 

Every day, shoppers are looking for more than speed and convenience. In the emerging era of digital identity and wallet security, confidence is the new currency. Thanks to the secure, interoperable infrastructure behind today’s digital wallets, that confidence is now within every consumer’s reach – across every platform, and around the world.