Buenos Aires Embraces Blockchain for Digital Identities

Buenos Aires is taking a significant step towards modern governance by implementing blockchain technology and zero-knowledge cryptography for digital identity issuance.

Announced on October 21, the city has integrated the decentralized identity solution QuarkID into its miBA digital platform, which facilitates access to various government services.

Since October 1, over 3.6 million users of miBA have received decentralized digital identities (DIDs) via QuarkID, a protocol developed by the Web3 firm Extrimian. These identities are stored in a wallet powered by ZKsync Era, an Ethereum scaling solution that employs zero-knowledge rollups. This initiative is aimed at giving residents greater control over their personal data, establishing a new benchmark for privacy and security in digital identity management.

The city has been progressively rolling out blockchain-based services. Earlier initiatives included the on-chain issuance of birth and marriage certificates, with plans to extend this to proof of income and academic records. Diego Fernández, Buenos Aires’ secretary of innovation and digital transformation, noted the broader implications of such technology beyond finance, highlighting its potential to empower citizens in managing their data securely.

QuarkID wallets allow for self-sovereign data storage, enabling residents to manage their credentials while interacting with government entities and businesses.