On-chain identity (CIP-0170)
What it is
CIP-0170 brings verifiable, tamper-resistant identity to Cardano through KERI-backed metadata attestations (KERI is a decentralized key-management protocol; it lets an identity prove itself cryptographically without depending on any single blockchain or registry). Organizations and individuals can anchor signed, decentralized-identity attestations on-chain, and increase trust by proving their real-world identity. The Cardano Foundation's Reeve is the reference implementation: think verifiable organizational identity and audit-grade reporting.
What you could build
Verifiable organizational identity for businesses transacting on Cardano
Tamper-resistant reporting and attestations (Reeve-style audit trails)
Identity-anchored credentials for access, compliance, or reputation systems
What the pilot expects
Leveraging CIP-0170 means valid signed attestations carrying your declared identifier, anchored on mainnet. The fee counts only when it isn't paid from your own wallets (Standard §5.2). If your architecture has your operator submit attestations on users' behalf, those fees will not count, so plan for users or independent parties to anchor their own. Floors and target guidance for this category are in the Transaction Integrity Standard (§3.1, §3.3).
Get building
Tooling: signify-ts · cf-signify-java
Readiness & constraints
The earliest-stage of the areas, so set your expectations accordingly. CIP-0170 pairs well with the other areas of interest in this pilot - for example, combining identity with a stablecoin or programmable-token integration in the same proposal. CIP-0170 is a proposed standard, ready to be adopted but not yet formally finalized. Reference tooling exists and works; some supporting components are still maturing. If you build here, you're an early adopter, with the visibility and the rough edges that implies.
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