Service for Digital Student IDs to Launch in April

Net Learning Holdings Inc. (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Toru Kishida, hereinafter NLHD) will begin full-scale provision of its digital student ID service, "Smart Student ID," which utilizes international standard technology, from April 2026. This service has already been adopted by multiple universities and high schools, including Cyber University (full adoption from the 2026 academic year), and demonstration experiments are commencing at large universities. It is rapidly gaining traction as a foundation for accelerating the digital transformation (DX) of educational institutions. Service Overview and Features "Smart Student ID" can be displayed on smartphone apps and utilized through methods such as tapping or QR code scanning. It enables students to enjoy an advanced campus life with features like access control, attendance management, and other location-based services. Furthermore, by leveraging the Open Badges mechanism, students can manage their course records, learning achievements, and academic transcripts within the same digital wallet. The app can also be developed to include features like course registration management. This is entirely different from simple digitalization via PDF. It adopts the technology of the global technical standard "Open Badges 3.0" and complies with the VC (Verifiable Credentials) model recommended by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). This makes it extremely difficult to tamper with and achieves high reliability, allowing third parties to easily verify its authenticity. Another reason for its strong reception and widespread adoption is the significant cost reduction compared to traditional plastic student IDs for universities and high schools.

【Main Features】 ■Integrated Management of Learning History and Student ID (One Wallet) NLHD's "Open Badges (Digital Learning Certificates)" and "Digital Student ID" can be held and managed within the same wallet app. This allows students to present and prove their "affiliation" and "abilities (learning history)" with just a smartphone. ■Scalability of Functions In addition to identity verification as a student ID, various functions necessary for student life, such as issuing academic transcripts, will be added sequentially. NLHD positions this service as "the starting point for various student services" and will continue to develop features for improved convenience. ■Benefits for Educational Institutions It significantly reduces the printing, mailing, and administrative costs associated with issuing traditional plastic cards, making it possible to implement at a low budget. Simultaneously, it contributes to the promotion of DX in educational institutions by reducing the risk of loss and improving security. Background and Achievements of Implementation The Net Learning Group, including NLHD, has been providing a digital certificate service (service name: Open Badges) utilizing Open Badges technology since 2020. Currently, it has been adopted by over 158 universities in Japan, including more than half of national university corporations, with a cumulative issuance of over 2.5 million badges. Furthermore, as a domestic provider, it has obtained all technical certifications for Open Badges 3.0 and has received high evaluations for its compatibility with international standards. Based on this extensive track record and technical expertise, the company has now made a full-scale entry into the domain of "student IDs," which requires strict operational procedures as identification. Comments from Adopting Institutions We have received the following comment from Dr. Hiroshi Kawahara, President of Cyber University, which has decided to implement the service for all students from April 2026. "The utilization of learning history (micro-credentials) is a global trend in visualizing individual skills and supporting career development. The ability to integrate student IDs and learning history into a single wallet using the international standard technology 'Open Badges 3.0' is a significant step forward for educational DX in Japan.