Abu Dhabi Launches Region’s First Blockchain-Authenticated Skills Card
Abu Dhabi launched the region’s first blockchain-authenticated Digital Skills Card on September 7, enabling cardholders to maintain a digitally verifiable record connecting their professional skills and qualifications with recognised certifications.
Employers and regulators can scan a QR code to verify the validity and authenticity of credentials through ADI Chain. The Quality and Conformity Council (QCC) describes the initiative as the Gulf region’s first credential of its kind, while the UAE Authority for Conformity (UAC) issues certifications through personnel conformity programmes accredited by QCC.
QR Verification Moves Credentials onto ADI Chain
ADI Chain provides the blockchain infrastructure behind each Digital Skills Card. QR-based verification allows employers, regulators and other authorised stakeholders to directly authenticate certification records.
QCC developed the card around recognised personnel conformity programmes. UAC administers these programmes and evaluates workforce competencies against relevant certification requirements.
Badr Khamis Al Shumaili, Executive Director of the Conformity and Standards Services Sector at QCC, said the launch reflects the growing importance of trusted digital data.
Al Shumaili said, ‘Digitalisation is no longer merely a means of streamlining procedures.’ QCC expects digital verification to increase confidence in accredited professional competencies among employers, regulators and workers.
ADI Foundation describes ADI Chain as infrastructure built for institutional blockchain applications. Its current technical specifications indicate capacity of more than 8,000 transactions per second, with finality achieved in around two seconds.
ADI Chain can also anchor verifiable records without placing sensitive information directly on the blockchain. ADI Foundation completed security audits of its Certificate Storage smart contract in March 2026.
UAC Targets Broader Qualification Coverage
UAC plans to expand Digital Skills Card coverage beyond the certifications available at launch, with future versions expected to include a broader range of qualifications and professional achievements.
Shahbaz Muhammad Khan, Director and CEO of UAC, said, ‘Verified skills can travel with the individual.’
Cross-institution verification provides certified professionals with a portable record that employers can authenticate using a standard QR process. UAC expects this approach to support credential recognition and workforce mobility across national borders.
QCC brought together government representatives, regulators, industry stakeholders and certified professionals for the Abu Dhabi launch. The initial recipients represented a range of professional backgrounds.
UAC specialises in workforce skills assessment and accreditation across industrial sectors. Its programmes align competency assessments with regulatory requirements and labour market needs.
QCC oversees standardisation, conformity assessment, testing, inspection and accreditation activities across Abu Dhabi. The Digital Skills Card extends these quality controls into professional certification records that employers can verify electronically.
Abu Dhabi Expands Digital Government Infrastructure
Abu Dhabi Government has allocated $3.54 billion (AED 13 billion) to its Digital Strategy 2025–2027. The Department of Government Enablement is leading implementation across government entities in the emirate.
The strategy targets full sovereign cloud adoption for government operations, alongside the complete digitisation and automation of government processes.
Government projections estimate the strategy will contribute more than $6.53 billion (AED 24 billion) to the economy by 2027 and create more than 5,000 employment opportunities.
The Digital Skills Card adds workforce credential verification to Abu Dhabi’s expanding portfolio of authenticated digital services. QCC can link accredited professional qualifications to a blockchain-based record that authorised stakeholders can verify through a QR scan.
Abu Dhabi Government has also expanded AI training and workforce development initiatives in 2026. Tamkeen 5.0 engaged more than 700 Emirati youth and connected participants with more than 35 specialised programmes delivered through 16 partner organisations.