The Ethereum Foundation has presented a website exploring potential uses of Ethereum for governments, multilateral organizations, NGOs and other public-interest institutions.
The site brings together introductory material, case studies and practical resources. The foundation describes Ethereum as shared infrastructure that no single organization controls. Institutions can access the network through different service providers or operate their own infrastructure while retaining authority over their policies and systems.
The materials also discuss how digital services could give individuals greater control over personal information, including by letting them hold credentials and choose what to disclose.
Bhutan’s digital identity system
One case study covers Bhutan’s National Digital Identity system, which supports remote identity verification using credentials issued by authorized organizations. Individuals hold the credentials in their own NDI Wallets and choose what information to share when accessing services.
A shared registry on Ethereum lets participating services verify the credentials’ authenticity without publishing them on the network. Bhutanese institutions decide which organizations may issue trusted credentials, the foundation says.
The foundation notes that in Bhutan’s mountainous terrain, accessing services in person can involve long and costly journeys.
Humanitarian aid proof of concept
The foundation’s Technical Foundations team developed a proof of concept exploring how humanitarian organizations could coordinate on Ethereum’s public network while protecting sensitive personal information. The work drew on discussions with humanitarian organizations and work with engineers and product leads.
The proposed design combines decentralized identity and private payment mechanisms. It would let organizations coordinate through shared infrastructure without exchanging the personal records they hold or relying on a single agency to operate the network. Each organization would remain responsible for the information it collects and the assistance it provides.
The foundation says the team has published articles on the design, lessons from the work and possible directions for future development.
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