From Polygon to Ethereum: Bhutan’s Bold Blockchain Migration Puts 800,000 Citizens on Web3 Rails

Bhutan has become one of the first countries to fully adopt Ethereum for government identity verification and digital services.

Bhutan is moving its National Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) framework from Layer 2 solution Polygon to Ethereum.

This decision will allow the population of approximately 800,000 to verify identities and communicate with government platforms via Ethereum’s blockchain.

Ethereum for National ID

In the latest post on revealed that the integration has been completed, while all resident login details will be migrated by the first quarter of 2026. The announcement was made at a high-profile event featuring Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuk.

Blockchain-powered national ID systems are increasingly recognized for their potential to increase transparency and security, especially thanks to zero-knowledge (zk) proofs that enable privacy protection.

Bhutan’s digital ID journey started at Hyperledger Indy before moving to Polygon in August 2024. By now adopting Ethereum, the South Asian country aims to strengthen trust in its digital governance infrastructure. Other countries such as Brazil and Vietnam have also experimented with similar blockchain-based identity initiatives.

Miyaguchi stated that Bhutan’s National Digital Identity and GovTech departments played a key role in driving the Ethereum integration, supported by members of the country’s growing crypto community and technical contributors who helped with the transition.

“This milestone marks not just a national achievement, but a global step toward a more open and secure long-term digital future. The moment felt even more meaningful because it happened during Ethereum’s 10th year. A reminder of how far we’ve come from ideas to real-world impact.”

Royal Crypto Ambitions

In addition to integrating blockchain into its digital economy, Bhutan has been actively mining bitcoin in recent years to strengthen its crypto holdings. Currently, the kingdom holds 6,371 BTC, making it the sixth largest BTC holder in the world after the US, China, Britain, Ukraine and the UAE, according to data. composed by BitcoinTreasuries.

You might also like:

Earlier this year, Bhutan partnered with Bitdeer Technologies to raise $500 million to expand its Bitcoin mining operations. The fund planned to support a 100-megawatt hydropower mining facility. Druk Holding & Investments, the investment arm of the Bhutanese government, will also invest and focus on institutional investors.