Google is teaming up with Sparkasse, one of Germany’s largest financial institutions, to bring digital age verification to mobile apps and websites in the European Union. And it’s all happening through your wallet.
Announced today at the Global Digital Collaboration Conference in Geneva, this marks the first time a national credential partner has signed on to Google’s age assurance framework. Sparkasse, with its network of 343 savings banks and over 50 million customers, will issue wallet-based digital credentials that let users prove their age privately and securely online.
The system is designed specifically for the EU, where regulators are increasingly demanding reliable, privacy-respecting age checks to protect minors. It uses Google’s Credential Manager API and zero-knowledge cryptography, enabling verification without revealing sensitive personal data. The credential lives in Google Wallet and integrates directly into Android and Chrome for one-click age confirmation on supported apps and websites.
This move addresses long-standing complaints from parents, developers, and policymakers about the lack of consistent, effective tools for verifying age online. Rather than forcing users to upload ID cards or go through clunky age gates, the Sparkasse credential provides a streamlined way to verify age backed by a trusted financial institution.
While this launch is focused on Germany and the broader EU, it may lay the groundwork for similar systems elsewhere. For now, only European users with a Sparkasse-issued credential will be eligible, and participating sites will need to opt in to support the system. Google says rollout is expected in the coming months.
By tying digital age verification to a real-world identity and keeping the process private and convenient, Google may be setting a new standard for how the internet handles age-gated content in regulated markets.
