The South Asian country of Bhutan is moving its self-sovereign ID system from Polygon to Ethereum, allowing its nearly 800,000 residents to verify their identity and access government services.
According to Ethereum Foundation Chairman Aya Miyaguchi, who attended the launch ceremony with Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck along with Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, the integration with Ethereum is complete and the migration of all resident credentials is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2026.
“It is very moving to see a nation committed to giving its people a self-sovereign identity,” Miyaguchi posted on X on Monday, adding that the Ethereum integration is a world first.
“This milestone is not only a national achievement, but also marks a global step towards a more open and secure digital future in the long term.”
Integrating blockchain-based solutions into government national ID systems has long been touted as a promising use case for cryptocurrencies due to their immutability, transparency, and privacy features, especially when zero-knowledge proofs are implemented.
Ethereum is Bhutan’s third blockchain national identity solution
Bhutan previously operated its national ID system on Polygon from August 2024, and before that on Hyperledger Indy. Brazil and Vietnam are among the few countries that have so far partially integrated blockchain-based self-sovereign identity solutions.
RELATED: Crypto funds collect $3.2 billion in inflows despite Friday’s flash crash
Miyaguchi pointed out that not only Bhutan’s National Digital Identity team and GovTech team played an important role in the integration of Ethereum, but other contributors from Bhutan’s cryptocurrency community also played important roles.
Bhutan has been accumulating Bitcoin
Bhutan, a country that measures national progress by gross national happiness, has quietly become a leader in cryptocurrency adoption in recent years. Currently, it is the 5th largest Bitcoin holding country, and has been accumulating its holdings through mining using renewable energy from Himalayan hydroelectric dams.
According to BitBo’s Bitcoin Treasury data, the company currently holds 11,286 Bitcoins worth $1.31 billion, placing it behind the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
Bhutan held talks with former Binance CEO Chao Changpeng in late September, and may be exploring other cryptocurrencies, but details of the talks have not been disclosed.
Pay with #BNB using @Binance Pay in Bhutan 🇧🇹 and it’s super easy. 😏 pic.twitter.com/B5p3YolJjJ
— CZ🔶BNB (@cz_binance) September 29, 2025
Magazine: EU’s privacy-destroying chat control bill postponed – but the fight isn’t over
