Bhutan Moves National ID System to Ethereum

Bhutan has officially migrated its national self-sovereign ID system from Polygon to Ethereum, marking a groundbreaking milestone in blockchain adoption by a sovereign nation. The move will allow nearly 800,000 citizens to verify their identities and access essential government services through Ethereum’s decentralized network.

The Ethereum Foundation confirmed that the technical integration is complete, with the full migration of all resident credentials expected by early 2026. Ethereum Foundation President Aya Miyaguchi announced the development alongside co-founder Vitalik Buterin, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, and Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuk during an official launch ceremony.

“It’s deeply inspiring to see a nation commit to empowering its citizens with self-sovereign identity,” Miyaguchi wrote on X, calling Bhutan’s adoption of Ethereum a “world-first achievement” and a significant step toward a more transparent and secure digital society.

Bhutan’s migration marks the third blockchain platform powering its national ID—after previously operating on Polygon since 2024 and Hyperledger Indy before that. The transition underscores growing government confidence in Ethereum’s robust security, privacy, and scalability, particularly with the use of zero-knowledge proofs to safeguard user data.

Bhutan’s National Digital Identity and GovTech teams led the transition with support from local crypto developers and global contributors from the Ethereum ecosystem.

The small Himalayan kingdom has also made headlines for its bold embrace of cryptocurrency. Bhutan currently ranks as the fifth-largest Bitcoin-holding nation-state, owning 11,286 BTC valued at about $1.31 billion, accumulated through renewable hydropower mining.

As Bhutan continues its quiet yet ambitious march into the blockchain era, the country could soon become a global model for decentralized digital governance.