The University of Bahrain (UOB) is beginning a pilot to issue digital diplomas built on the blockchain for its postgraduate programs.

According to StartUp Bahrain, UOB is collaborating with Learning Machine to create the diplomas based on Blockcerts open standard. All digital records are registered cryptographically on a blockchain, making them secure, tamper-proof, and easily verifiably anytime, anywhere.

UOB president Professor Riyad Hamzah said, “We at UOB are delighted to be the trailblazers in using blockchain in the MENA region in order to better serve our students. Students will have their own digital file, which means that they or indeed their employers will not have to wait for us to validate their credentials.”

He added that UOB hopes to extend the issuance of digital diplomas to its undergraduate programs “in due course”.