Launch of Digital Student ID Service Starting in April

NetLearning Holdings, Inc. (Shinjuku, 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, starting in April 2026.

This service has already been confirmed for adoption by multiple universities and high schools, including Cyber University (which will implement it university-wide starting in the 2026 academic year). With pilot programs also launching at large-scale universities, the service is gaining significant traction as a foundation for accelerating the digital transformation (DX) of educational institutions.

### Service Overview and Features "Smart Student ID" is utilized via a smartphone app, allowing students to display their ID, tap for access, or scan QR codes. It enables students to enjoy an advanced campus life, including features for room entry/exit, attendance management, and location-based services. Furthermore, by leveraging the Open Badges framework, students can manage their course records, learning history, and transcripts within the same digital wallet. The app can also be expanded to include course registration management.

This is fundamentally different from simple digitization via PDF.

By adopting "Open Badges 3.0," a global technical standard, and complying with the Verifiable Credentials (VC) model recommended by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), the service achieves high reliability. It is extremely difficult to tamper with, and third parties can easily verify the authenticity of the credentials.

Another reason for its popularity and rapid adoption is that it offers significantly lower costs for universities and high schools compared to traditional plastic student IDs.

**[Key Features]** ■ **Unified Management of Learning History and Student ID (One Wallet)** "Open Badges" (digital learning certificates) and "Smart Student ID" provided by NLHD can be held and managed within the same wallet app. This allows students to present and prove their "affiliation" and "competencies (learning history)" with just a single smartphone.

**Functional Scalability** In addition to its function as a student ID, various features necessary for student life, such as the issuance of transcripts, will be added sequentially. NLHD positions this service as a "starting point for various student services" and will continue to develop features to improve convenience.

**Benefits for Educational Institutions** It enables implementation on a low budget by significantly reducing the printing and mailing costs, as well as the administrative labor associated with issuing traditional plastic cards. At the same time, it contributes to the promotion of DX in educational institutions by reducing the risk of loss and improving security.

### Background and Track Record The NetLearning Group, including NLHD, has been providing a digital certificate service using Open Badges technology since 2020. Currently, it has been adopted by over 158 universities in Japan, including more than half of all national university corporations, with a cumulative total of over 2.5 million badges issued. Additionally, as a domestic provider, the company has obtained all technical certifications for Open Badges 3.0, receiving high praise for its ability to comply with international standards. Based on this extensive track record and technical expertise, the company has now entered the "student ID" market, which requires rigorous operation as a form of identification.

### Comments from Adopting Institutions We have received the following comment from Hiroshi Kawahara, President of Cyber University, which has decided to introduce the service to all students starting in April 2026:

"The utilization of learning history (micro-credentials) is a global trend in visualizing individual skills and supporting career development. Integrating student IDs and learning history into the same wallet using the international standard 'Open Badges 3.0' technology is a major step forward for Japan's educational DX. As someone involved in the promotion of these standards, I hope that our university will serve as a leading model, demonstrating to society the ideal form of digital authentication that balances security and convenience, as well as the benefits it provides to students."

Hiroshi Kawahara, President of Cyber University (Board Member, 1EdTech Japan / Board Member, Japan Micro-Credential Organization)

*Source: Partially reprinted from the Cyber University press release (announced February 20, 2026) "Advance Introduction of Next-Generation 'Smart Student ID' Integrating Learning History and Identification" https://www.cyber-u.ac.jp/information/y260220.html

Adoption by even more educational institutions is expected from April onwards. Through "Smart Student ID," NLHD will continue to contribute to improving student convenience and enhancing the added value of educational institutions.

For more details on the service, please visit: https://www.nl-hd.com/license/student.html

--- **About NetLearning Holdings, Inc.** Guided by the philosophy of "creating new education, training, and learning to contribute to a truly prosperous society," the company strategically promotes the businesses of group companies and organizations, including NetLearning, the largest e-learning provider established in 1998. Based on the large-scale, multi-functional platform "Multiverse®," the company provides a wide range of human resource development solutions utilizing both online and offline methods. It has been adopted by over 7,400 companies and organizations, with over 120 million total users. Since 2020, it has provided the "Open Badges" digital certificate service and is the only company in Japan to have obtained all technical certifications for Open Badges 3.0.

Official Website: https://www.nl-hd.com/

[Inquiries regarding this matter] NetLearning Holdings, Inc. Public Relations: Tomoko Saito Email: tomoko.saito@nl-hd.com Please feel free to contact us with any questions or interview requests regarding this matter.