Malta's Government Is Putting Academic Certificates on a Blockchain

Malta's government is set to trial blockchain for keeping track of academic certifications.

The Ministry of Education and Employment has struck an agreement with blockchain startup Learning Machine Technologies to build a prototype platform that will allow users to securely store and share their academic documents – as well as prove that the credentials belong to them.

The system will be built using the Blockcerts open standard, which was developed by Learning Machine Technologies and the MIT Media Lab in 2016.

Evarist Bartolo, Minister for Education and Employment in Malta, stated in a press release:

"This is a win/win for Malta, whose skilled workforce is among the primary drivers of its economic success."

Blockcerts allows users to receive, verify, store and share their academic credentials on a blockchain via a digital wallet, which also issues keys that enable secure access to the material.

The release indicates that this is the first time a national government has tested this specific application of the tech.

Back in April, Malta's prime minister, Joseph Muscat, said that pursuing blockchain was high on the government's agenda, and urged his country to be at the "frontline" of its development.

"We cannot just wait for others to take action and copy them." Muscat said. "We must be the ones that others copy."

Last month, Malta continued on this bullish path, with local media reporting that the government is considering a regulatory "sandbox" for cryptocurrency innovation.

Maltese government building image via Shutterstock