Bhutan’s National Digital Identity on Ethereum is a nationwide migration that anchors the country’s self-sovereign identity system to the public Ethereum blockchain, improving transparency, cryptographic verification, and citizen control while reducing reliance on centralized databases.
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First national identity system deployed at population scale on a public blockchain
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Migration targets full deployment by early 2026 with phased rollouts and verifiable credentials
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Governance statements and participation from Ethereum Foundation, developers, and international identity projects
Bhutan National Digital Identity on Ethereum: pioneering a public-blockchain national ID to boost security and privacy—read how citizens will benefit and what to expect by 2026. Learn more from COINOTAG.
Published: 2025-10-14 | Updated: 2025-10-14 | Author: COINOTAG
What is Bhutan’s National Digital Identity on Ethereum?
Bhutan’s National Digital Identity on Ethereum is a nationwide program to migrate the Kingdom’s National Digital Identity (NDI) to the public Ethereum blockchain. The initiative creates verifiable credentials and on-chain proofs that allow citizens to authenticate attributes without exposing personal data, shifting from centralized databases to a decentralized model.
How will the migration to Ethereum improve identity security and privacy?
The migration leverages Ethereum’s globally distributed network to reduce single points of failure and make credential verification transparent and tamper-evident. By issuing verifiable credentials and using cryptographic proofs, the NDI enables selective disclosure—citizens can prove attributes (age, residency, professional status) without sharing full identity records. Government briefings state the goal is to complete the platform migration by early 2026, supported by domestic development teams and open-source partners. Official commentary from Prime Minister Lyonchen Tshering Tobgay highlights aims to “enhance the security, transparency, and availability of Bhutan’s critical systems.”
What role did global identity and blockchain organizations play?
Bhutan’s program engaged public figures and organizations in the blockchain community in advisory and celebratory capacities. Aya Miyaguchi, president of the Ethereum Foundation, described the adoption as an example of blockchain applied to “open and inclusive systems that work for citizens.” Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum co-founder, noted decentralized digital identity is a foundational element for the next-generation internet. Implementation partners include teams developing self-sovereign identity solutions such as uPort and collaborative protocols like iDen2; these entities contributed technical expertise, open-source tooling, and community engagement during pilots and the 2025 dApp hackathon in Paro.
Frequently Asked Questions
How will citizens use verifiable credentials from Bhutan’s NDI on Ethereum?
Citizens will receive cryptographically signed verifiable credentials that can be presented selectively to service providers. Verification occurs via Ethereum-native proofs and off-chain attestations, enabling proof of attributes without revealing underlying personal data. This reduces exposure of centralized records while allowing real-time validation across services.
Can I verify my Bhutanese credentials from abroad?
Yes. Because credentials are anchored to the public Ethereum network, authorized verifiers anywhere can validate proofs without querying a government database. The system is designed for cross-border interoperability while preserving privacy through selective disclosure mechanisms.
Key Takeaways
- Public-blockchain adoption: Bhutan is the first nation to adopt a public blockchain (Ethereum) as the base for a population-scale national ID.
- Self-sovereign identity: The NDI emphasizes citizen control, using verifiable credentials and cryptographic proofs to limit data exposure.
- Phased national rollout: Full migration is targeted for early 2026, supported by domestic developers, international protocols, and public hackathons to accelerate practical uses.
Conclusion
The migration of Bhutan’s National Digital Identity to the Ethereum blockchain represents a deliberate move toward decentralized, verifiable, and privacy-preserving identity infrastructure. Backed by government leadership, public commentary from the Ethereum community, and collaboration with open-source identity projects, the program sets a precedent for country-scale self-sovereign identity. Stakeholders should watch the phased rollouts and interoperability work through 2026 for measurable impacts on service delivery, data security, and international verification. COINOTAG will continue tracking developments and technical milestones as the project unfolds.
