Blockchain set to revolutionise academic credentials and portability

Delegates from 24 countries met at the Groningen Declaration Network's summit in Paris to discuss blockchain as a way to make academic credentials portable for students moving between institutions and borders.

One presenter told the summit that blockchain suits environments where parties don't inherently trust each other and need to reach consensus on a shared record — though the model shifts long-term custody of credentials onto the individual, meaning graduates become responsible for safeguarding their own keys indefinitely.

Even with that trade-off, blockchain-based credential recognition dominated the agenda, with several pilot programmes presented from institutions worldwide.