Verifiable Credentials for COVID-19 Data Management

On April 13, during EBC2021 a group of experts discussed how blockchain and DLTs can help transfer and share data efficiently between governments and businesses while ensuring the privacy of the individual.

“Verifiable Credentials for COVID-19 Data Management”. Panel discussion held by EBCvirtual 2021.

May 20, 2021, 12:30 AM CET

  • NFTs in healthcare. The new opportunity
  • New ways of dealing with data and our relations in the digital world
  • Data sharing, scalability of the solutions and adaptivity to changes in most prominent public blockchains


We have a massive risk of government and commercial hegemony over the ability to control humanity in ways we don’t wish. It means that we must pursue systems of self-sovereignty at the same time that this technology is evolving.

“New institutions will need to correct the asymmetry of power. We need to be extremely careful as we proceed”Heather Leigh Flannery from ConsenSys Health.

The session started by stressing that we, as humanity, are searching for new ways of dealing with data and our relations in the digital world. COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges for storing, processing and sharing our data, especially in the healthcare sector. A tremendous effort is put by Pharmaledger, which builds a blockchain platform for the healthcare industry to create unified formats and senses for using data. Another example was showcased by Daniel Uribe, founder at Genobank.io, highlighting the opportunities for bio-tokens with a privacy-preserving DNA kit.

The ongoing Covid-19 crisis has unveiled  the importance of the veracity of healthcare data” – Marco Cuomo, Applied Technology Innovation Manager at PharmaLedger – explained.

During the discussion experts discussed about possibility of using NFTs in healthcare, among other things, can be a good value proposition with their authenticity and scarcity. Those, however, must be differentiated from the venture capital.  

From the top left:  Xavier Vila, Benedetto Biondi, Heather Flannery, Marco Cuomo and Daniel Uribe

The discussion followed the new ways and forms of sensitive data sharing, scalability of the solutions and adaptivity to changes in most prominent public blockchains such as Ethereum.

It is no longer necessary to share data to benefit from it. We can enable data to be computed upon without being shared”, claimed Xavi Vila, Product Manager at Validated ID. Therefore, such systems could rely on a ledger everyone could read, but limited parties can write.

To wrap up, the panelists agreed a critical issue for venture capital is dealing with the public healthcare bureaucracy. In any case, this domain is being developed today, and  financial experts will contribute to shaping it.

EBC’s 5th edition panel discussion articulated by Benedetto Biondi, Innovation Manager at Blockchain Italia; Marco Cuomo, Applied Technology Innovation Manager at PharmaLedger · Novartis; Heather Leigh Flannery, ConsenSys Health; Daniel Uribe, Founder at Genobank.io;  Xavi Vila, Product Manager at Validated ID.

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