Victoria d’Este
Printed: November 28, 2025 at 6:36 am Up to date: November 28, 2025 at 6:37 am
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November 28, 2025 at 6:36 am
In Transient
Concordium’s blockchain makes use of zero-knowledge proofs to confirm age and identification privately, promising safer, seamless digital interactions.
What in the event you might show your age on-line with out ever revealing your identify, birthday, or ID? In an unique interview, Boris Bohrer‑Bilowitzki—CEO of Concordium—explains how the corporate’s blockchain platform leverages zero‑data proofs to embed digital identification immediately on the protocol stage. This innovation allows privateness‑preserving verification and programmable cash, opening the door to a basically new digital paradigm. Bohrer‑Bilowitzki delves into how this expertise might redefine belief, streamline actual‑world interactions, and ship a safer, extra seamless digital expertise for on a regular basis customers.
Boris, are you able to please introduce your self and Concordium?
I’m Boris Bohrer‑Bilowitzki, CEO of Concordium. We function a layer‑1 blockchain distinguished by two core distinctive promoting propositions. First, identification is embedded immediately into the bottom layer. This permits customers to work together throughout the ecosystem in a completely privateness‑preserving method via zero‑data proofs.
On the opposite facet, we now have what we name PLTs, protocol-level tokens, which permit issuance particularly geared towards stablecoins, enabling full programmability options. This delivers on the core promise of programmable cash, which then integrates with the ID in what we name “confirm and pay,” or the ID by itself in “confirm and entry.”
The purpose isn’t to problem Ethereum or Solana—or any of the established gamers—in a head‑on battle. That might be futile, particularly within the DeFi house, the place the highest 70 initiatives largely replicate each other. As an alternative, we’re centered on onboarding new customers by abstracting away the complexities of crypto. Our first step is privateness‑preserving age verification, which is already dwell throughout a number of industries, as our current bulletins display.
Constructing on prime of that, with regard to the programmability options of protocol-level issuance, we summary away all of the dangers that sensible contracts inherently have after they fulfill a custodial perform. That’s how the Ethereum and Solana ecosystems are usually constructed.
And I do know a factor or two about custody, since I used to be the founding companion, and nonetheless am the founding companion, and former Chief Industrial Officer of Copper, one of many largest custodians on the planet. The thought right here is that issuing on a protocol stage, relatively than by way of sensible contracts, means that you can program sensible cash for transactions you do, whether or not in the true world or industries like playing, gaming, grownup content material, or any transaction to pay for content material.
Alternatively, for extra advanced transactions corresponding to commerce and finance, the place the time worth of cash is essential, it offers stablecoins, at the moment missing use circumstances within the type of tokenized cash market funds or any yield-bearing stablecoin, an precise objective. And that’s the undertaking.
How does Concordium embed digital ID on the protocol stage with out compromising consumer privateness?
That’s the core of all of it. Privateness is essential to us as a result of, on the finish of the day, you gained’t get customers within the crypto world in the event you don’t implement it in any respect. And in the event you ignore compliance-related requirements with regard to ID, you gained’t get regulators onboard.
Concordium’s strategy is that you simply undergo a verification course of as soon as when coming into the ecosystem, performed by traditional identification suppliers, like Notabene. Notabene certifies that the doc you current to onboard is legitimate. However right here’s the magical half: Concordium at no level has entry to the information; the chain doesn’t see it. What occurs is that the road gadgets of that identification are cryptographically hashed into an identification object tied to your pockets.
So, for instance, usually you’ll see Boris Bohrer-Bilowitzki, driver’s license, birthday, and many others., however when interacting in an ecosystem, you don’t wish to reveal your identify or actual doc. If we take age verification as a easy instance, the service provider solely must know in the event you’re over 18. Utilizing zero-knowledge proofs, from a pockets that solely you management, you possibly can show this with out ever exhibiting your private information. That’s how privateness is carried out.
If age verification could possibly be fully invisible, how would that change the Web for customers?
The best way folks at the moment work together on-line, they need to undergo some onboarding course of in every single place, which is ridiculous. The thought ought to be that you simply don’t have to show your identify or exercise simply to entry a service. Sure, you want compliance when proving age, and rightly so, particularly for kids and social media. However invisible age verification makes your life simpler, retains you personal, and stays compliant.
It’s troublesome to implement this, significantly with zero-knowledge proofs and ecosystem interplay, however we’ve solved that.
May Concordium’s strategy to identification verification turn out to be a worldwide normal for privacy-first authentication?
Completely. It is determined by how far you wish to take it. Age verification is a low-hanging fruit since your birthdate is on any government-issued doc. The secret’s doing it as soon as, not a number of occasions. Interplay afterward stays personal.
We’re already experimenting with extra advanced KYC use circumstances. For instance, onboarding to banks requires greater than a driver’s license photograph. You may hash your identification to a pockets in a approach that means that you can open a checking account with one click on, scanning a QR code, with out repeatedly submitting paperwork. Layers exist behind this for KYC reliance, however the basis is there. So sure, this strategy might turn out to be a typical for privacy-first authentication globally.
How do you persuade regulators that privateness doesn’t imply loneliness?
Privateness is just not the identical as anonymity. Crypto usually emphasizes full anonymity, which regulators don’t settle for, forcing providers to repeat KYC checks. We deliver our options to regulators, for instance, on age verification, together with retailers and cost service suppliers. They’ve given us the inexperienced gentle, recognizing this as one of the best answer they’ve seen.
It’s a step-by-step course of. Convincing regulators entails proving that rules are upheld. After years of lagging behind, regulators are embracing expertise that secures compliance whereas respecting privateness. For instance, the UK On-line Security Act is strict, and Ofcom ensures it’s enforced. Concordium’s answer helps remedy these issues effectively, decreasing consumer friction whereas satisfying regulatory necessities.
May zero-knowledge proofs finally substitute conventional ID checks in every single place, from banks to bars?
My quick reply is sure. Implementation is essential. For instance, bars and film theaters at the moment test IDs manually. Banks do the identical with paper information. Over-regulation usually exists as a result of there’s no expertise to simplify it. Zero-knowledge proofs present privateness whereas satisfying regulators, enabling belief with out exposing private info. Sovereign identification plus privacy-preserving expertise is the way in which ahead, and regulators agree that they only want assurance that rules are being upheld.
How do you reply to critics who say blockchain-based identification is simply too advanced for on a regular basis customers?
I’m not shocked. Present implementations in Ethereum or related networks are dangerous. Complexity is usually misunderstood; the blockchain itself shouldn’t be seen, it ought to simply work. Trade individuals should make tooling simpler.
Explaining seed phrases or personal keys to on a regular basis customers, like your aunt, is futile. That’s why folks lose entry to funds. Complexity could be solved. At Concordium, blockchain is invisible; customers arrange an ID in our app and work together with providers like age verification. Different performance follows.
The crypto ecosystem reveals indicators of stagnation. With month-to-month dApp customers caught at 6–7 million, it’s clear that blockchain’s complexity has saved most customers at arm’s size. However folks already use advanced techniques like finance with out absolutely understanding them. Blockchain can remedy these real-world issues. The secret’s tooling and value. Identification options don’t should be advanced if the appliance is intuitive.
Are there any inventive use circumstances for privacy-preserving IDs past age verification, like voting or social media?
Governance is one compelling instance. Think about identification‑primarily based voting techniques the place privateness is preserved and a person’s stake within the ecosystem immediately influences outcomes. In social media, privateness‑preserving identification verification might allow platforms to ship content material aligned with customers’ verified preferences—relatively than counting on algorithmic manipulation. Past that, blockchain expertise unlocks completely new product classes beforehand deemed unimaginable, weaving a reliable basis for innovation.
What’s the largest trade-off between privateness and comfort in your system? How do you remedy it?
There may be at all times a trade-off. Even cypherpunks undergo KYC to entry stablecoins. Privateness doesn’t imply anonymity; you must confirm paperwork as soon as, and the information shouldn’t be shared throughout the ecosystem. Our system balances comfort and privateness: customers confirm as soon as, stay personal, and regulators are glad. Overemphasizing anonymity prevents adoption and regulatory compliance. We skew towards comfort whereas preserving core privateness guarantees.
May Concordium’s answer redefine what it means to belief an internet service?
Sure, and it already does. Belief stems from proving attributes—corresponding to age—with out revealing pointless private information. For example, when you must confirm the authenticity of on-line content material or interactions, Concordium allows trustless, privateness‑preserving proof. It repeatedly verifies attributes throughout the ecosystem, redefining how we perceive belief within the digital world.
If Concordium succeeds, what tangible variations will the typical web consumer expertise of their digital life?
Their expertise can be smoother and safer. Customers can work together on-line with out unnecessarily exposing private information. For example, in grownup content material eventualities, there’s no want to fret about AI age estimation or disclosing delicate private info. Concordium allows trustless interactions that confirm consumer attributes whereas preserving privateness, finally making the web and digital life safer for everybody.
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About The Writer
Victoria is a author on a wide range of expertise matters together with Web3.0, AI and cryptocurrencies. Her in depth expertise permits her to write down insightful articles for the broader viewers.
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Victoria d’Este
Victoria is a author on a wide range of expertise matters together with Web3.0, AI and cryptocurrencies. Her in depth expertise permits her to write down insightful articles for the broader viewers.
