Brazil adopts DaaS for verifiable credentials

Brazil is the latest country to adopt DPI as a Packaged Solution (DaaS) — a practical framework designed to accelerate the rollout of digital identity systems by leveraging existing platforms.

The initiative focuses on verifiable credentials for social benefits, marking an important early step in applying the DaaS model at the national level.

“By integrating Verifiable Credentials with the gov.br platform and our National Identity Wallet, we are establishing a secure and inclusive digital foundation,” said Rogerio Guimaraes, Brazilian National Secretary for Digital Government.

Spearheaded by the Ministry of Management and Innovation with support from the Centre for Open Societal Systems (COSS), the launch follows weeks of technical groundwork and soft workshops. “It’s about ensuring every Brazilian — whether in urban centers or rural communities – can easily access and control their digital credentials, opening doors to better business opportunities and inclusive economic growth,” Guimaraes added.

Brazil’s initial deployment is about simplifying access to government benefits for rural landowners. The programme targets seven million farmers by digitizing and issuing verifiable “CAR” credentials linked to their land documents under the Cadastro Ambiental Rural (CAR) system.

Once credentialed, these landowners can seamlessly share their verified data with banks and loan providers, paving the way for faster, more transparent financial services.

Collaboration has been a driving force behind the rollout. COSS is based in Brasília, while EY leads implementation efforts. State-owned tech agency Dataprev is exploring a proof of concept in partnership with Inji, and the Bank of Brazil is poised to serve as a potential verifier. In the run-up to the launch, cross-sector workshops tackled critical issues such as data governance, cybersecurity and system integration. solidifying technical pathways and building momentum across ministries and departments.

Rather than starting from scratch, Brazil’s DaaS deployment builds atop its existing digital infrastructure. Cloud environments, issuer registries and security frameworks serve as the foundation, with the new DPI layer added. This incremental strategy lies at the core of the DaaS ethos, ensuring rapid progress without overhauling functional systems.

In the coming months, the program begins with around 2,000 family farmers in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where real-world insights from the application will be gathered. These learnings will be shared.

In October 2024, a historic milestone was achieved: the first digital ID integration in Latin America and the Caribbean went into production with the integration of ID Uruguay with GOV.br. This allowed Brazilians to access 40 digital services in Uruguay using their trusted Brazilian digital IDs.

Trinidad and Tobago was the first country to implement the DaaS framework. Its verifiable credentials infrastructure is now complete, with technical teams finalizing key integrations. A soft launch is expected soon, according to the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure.

Article Topics

Brazil  |  DaaS (DPI-as-a-Packaged Solution)  |  digital public infrastructure  |  social protection  |  verifiable credentials