The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has selected the Avalanche blockchain to upgrade its national digital identity platform, UAEPASS. The system manages document data and the issuance, sharing, and verification of documents for 12.5 million citizens issued by both government and private institutions.
According to the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), the migration to Avalanche's layer 1 (L1) blockchain is designed to strengthen scalability, performance, and reliability as the digital identity system continues to grow.
Dedicated Infrastructure and State Control
The upgrade utilizes a dedicated L1 blockchain configured to handle exclusively UAE-related traffic. This setup prevents external network congestion and allows the system to maintain predictable performance. Additionally, the TDRA retains oversight of the ecosystem, setting the terms for the infrastructure, access, and management.
Saeed Belhoul, Dgov Operations Director at the TDRA, stated that upgrading the digital vault ensures the platform relies on infrastructure capable of supporting national responsibilities for years to come. John Nahas, Chief Business Officer at Ava Labs, emphasized that reliability is paramount for daily digital identity services.
Similar Public Sector Implementations
This initiative follows similar large-scale public sector deployments utilizing Avalanche technology. Notably, the California Department of Motor Vehicles previously digitized 42 million car titles on Avalanche to accelerate title transfer operations, and the network also facilitated ticketing transactions during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
