Buenos Aires Integrates QuarkID ZKsync-Powered Decentralized Identity Solution into Its miBA Platform

This groundbreaking initiative makes Buenos Aires the first city worldwide to implement blockchain and zero-knowledge cryptography for creating self-sovereign digital identities.

Buenos Aires government integrates QuarkID into its digital identity system

The Government of the City of Buenos Aires has announced the integration of QuarkID, a ZKsync-powered decentralized identity solution, into its miBA platform. This groundbreaking initiative makes Buenos Aires the first city worldwide to implement blockchain and zero-knowledge cryptography for creating self-sovereign digital identities. By empowering 3.6 million residents with enhanced control over their personal data, the city sets a new standard in privacy and security for digital identity management.

Starting October 1, 2024, all active users of miBA, the city’s digital platform for accessing government services and documents, received their own decentralized digital identity (DID). These DIDs are secured by QuarkID’s wallet and settled on Era, a Layer 2 blockchain powered by ZKsync. This initiative positions Buenos Aires as a pioneer in transforming government services through blockchain technology, setting a new global standard for privacy-focused digital identity.

Empowering Citizens with Ownership and Control

In a world where governments and institutions traditionally own and manage citizens’ data, Buenos Aires is turning the model upside down by giving citizens direct ownership of their personal information. Through QuarkID, individuals can now access, store, and share their verified credentials — like birth certificates or tax documents — securely and independently.

This self-sovereign identity approach gives citizens control over their personal data. Rather than relying on physical documents that expose unnecessary information, such as a full name or address when proving one’s age, residents can now verify their credentials peer-to-peer through their mobile devices. This guarantees that no third party, including the government, can track when, how, or why a credential is being used.

Jorge Macri, Chief of Government of the City of Buenos Aires, commented on the news: “The incorporation of zero-knowledge blockchain technology into the City’s digital identity system is an unprecedented milestone that positions us globally and once again demonstrates that the City of Buenos Aires is at the forefront of innovation. Adopting new technologies that simplify citizens’ processes and grant them full control over their information is a fundamental step to continue offering more secure and transparent digital solutions.”

The Benefits of Decentralized Identity

At the core of this initiative are QuarkID’s open-source digital trust framework powered by ZKsync’s zero-knowledge proof blockchain technology, which brings a new level of security, privacy, and transparency to how personal data is managed:

“We’ve seen a lot of blockchain-based innovation in financial services, but this initiative demonstrates the power of blockchain to revolutionize other uses cases such as government services by empowering citizens to safely and securely own their data,” said Diego Fernandez, Secretary of Innovation and Digital Transformation of the City of Buenos Aires. “By giving residents control over their identities, we’re not only improving privacy and security, but we’re also setting the foundation for a future where personal data ownership is a basic right, protected by advanced zero-knowledge-based cryptographic proofs.”

QuarkID: Present and Future

Since the initial announcement of QuarkID in September 2023, Buenos Aires has worked closely with partners such as Extrimian to transition miBA’s centralized system to a decentralized one. QuarkID allows residents to view, download, and share documents while also serving as the login portal for all government systems to schedule appointments, carry out procedures, or submit requests. Citizens can now access any of the City’s systems (previously miBA login) by simply scanning a QR code—no password required.

With the integration of QuarkID, miBA users will have access to over 60 digital documents and certificates, including but not limited to:

Birth certificates

Marriage certificates

Death certificates

Tax documents (e.g., income statements, property tax bills)

Vehicle registration certificates

Driver’s licenses

Medical records (e.g., vaccination cards, blood type)

In the coming months, additional documents, such as driver’s licenses, public space permits, and high school diplomas, will be added. This innovation will also allow users to add credentials from other organizations that adopt the QuarkID protocol, enhancing the platform’s versatility and usability.

In addition to its use in Buenos Aires, QuarkID has successfully conducted pilot programs in Mexico, Colombia, and Peru, and is slated for future adoption in other Argentine provinces, including Salta.

Diego Fernández, Secretary of Innovation and Digital Transformation from the Buenos Aires City Government commented: “When we developed the open-source protocol QuarkID, one of our main goals was for the Government of the City of Buenos Aires to be not its owner but another user, allowing over 3 million citizens to have their official documents in their miBA wallet, secured by the ZKsync Era blockchain. Today, this is a reality, and we are very proud that this development positions us as pioneers in the region and the world”.

QuarkID: Open-Source Collaboration for Secure Digital Identity

As an open-source Digital Public