Web3 Forum: Digital identity and DPI
Urbe Hub hosts an open discussion on Digital Identity and DPI (Digital Public Infrastructure), and on the role Ethereum and other open, decentralised technologies are starting to play in it.
The discussion is moderated by Alessandro Malvetano (aka Crypto Nomad) - a preview of its talk at Devcon8.
The format is an open discussion, not a panel and not a talk.
For years, digital identity lived in government roadmaps. Now it has a deadline: by 24 December 2026, every EU country must offer its citizens a digital identity wallet, and most are set to miss it. The question is no longer whether we get a digital identity, but who runs the rails, what they reveal about us, and who holds the switch.
That question has driven Alessandro’s work and research over the past year.
The picture is uneven. Bhutan has anchored the national identity of about 800,000 residents on public Ethereum. Canada recognises credentials across a federation without a single national identity provider. Switzerland voted yes to its e-ID with 50.39%, then postponed the launch to get privacy and security right. Across borders, identity remains fragmented: the latest G7 mapping found no standard shared by all members.
We’re in the middle of a Cambrian explosion. We’ll take a panoramic look at the state of the art in Europe and globally, and at the stakeholders shaping the space, blockchain actors included.
One core argument runs through it all: digital identity should be treated as an individual right, because it’s the precondition for exercising every other right online. On this view, interoperability comes from mutual recognition, subsidiarity and open standards, not from one central hub. Unlinkability is the default: your credentials shouldn’t let any state or company stitch your life together, and re-linking should require a judge.
The web3 and self-sovereign identity communities pushed the tools for this for a decade: verifiable credentials, DIDs, selective disclosure and ZK proofs. They’re now in the specs of national infrastructure. The EU age verification app uses a ZK proof to show you’re over a certain age without revealing who you are, and Italy is a pilot country. The Ethereum Foundation is building open-source ZK tooling designed to plug into the EUDI wallet.
We won’t stop at theory. We’ll go through the tools and resources anyone needs to start engaging with this space.
📍 Where: Urbe Hub, Roma 🕕 Doors open: 18:00 🍹 Aperitivo included
🗓 Program
18:00 - Doors open
18:30 - Forum
20:00 - Aperitivo and networking
21:00 - Close
Hosted at Urbe Hub 🏛️
Urbe Hub is the reference point in Rome for people working with the most advanced technologies. A coworking and events space for developers, researchers, founders and anyone working with emerging tech.
We regularly host workshops, talks, forums and building sessions, a continuous program of events on the tools, frameworks and ideas shaping technology.
The Hub is also a workspace. If you are looking for a place to build alongside other people from Rome's tech scene, come visit us.