Decisions for credential format: Interoperability, privacy and lock-in risks

Credential format na technical specification for verifiable digital credentials. E dey determine how credentials dem take structured, encoded, and signed, and na wetin go affect interoperability, privacy controls, verifier ecosystem support, and migration risk. The article compare four major credential format options wey government and enterprise programs dey use: - ISO/IEC 18013-5 and 18013-7 for mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs), dem support both online and offline presentation. - ISO/IEC 23220 (mdocs), wey extend the ISO approach go passports, residence permits, and other mobile documents. - W3C Verifiable Credentials (VC data model), wey offer general framework, but real interoperability depend on security mechanisms and profiles. - SD-JWT (Selective Disclosure JWT), wey use the JWT ecosystem for selective disclosure and faster adoption, though e get trade-offs for expressiveness and long-term portability. Procurement guidance na make you choose the credential format early and specify not just the format but also the specification version and clear migration path. That one mean plan for possible re-issuance or parallel transitions if requirements change. For crypto traders, na indirect infrastructure story this. Decisions about credential format fit influence how digital identity and compliance systems dem integrate, but e usually slow-moving and policy-driven, no be near-term market catalyst.