Bhutan's crypto experiment, Malta's AI officer, and exploring India's digital summit
Edition #150 In the aftermath of India's global AI event in New Delhi, we look at what it means for digital government in the Global South, and how countries around the world are responding...
In our previous roundup, we were thinking about digital sovereignty, in light of France’s homegrown meeting service Visio and the Netherlands’ dilemma over its (not-so) homegrown digital infrastructure firm Solvinity.
This week, it is all things AI, in the aftermath of India’s AI Summit. Malta also has a new Chief AI Officer, while elsewhere the Tony Blair Institute is thinking about how to incorporate AI into government services for low- and middle-income countries.
Our main stories this week:
At the AI Summit, India tries to find a way between the US and China
How UK dual nationals can get home without new passports
60,000 records exposed in Cyberattack on Uzbekistan Government
As a reminder, we have recently begun to expand our digital government coverage away from just Substack and onto Linkedin, Twitter, and Instagram. For original content, audience engagement, and roundups of all our pieces, feel free to follow us over on those channels. Also check out our sister newsletter, interweave.africa.
At the AI Summit, India tries to find a way between the U.S. and China - Anupreeta Das and Praghati K.B., New York Times
India’s flagship AI Impact Summit in New Delhi this past week planted a stake in the ground for what the future of the technology may look like in the Global South.
The summit brought together business and political leaders from around the world, from Sam Altman of OpenAI and Dario Amodei of Anthropic to French President Emmanuel Macron.
The summit focused on what AI means for the world, particularly given that the industry is dominated by the world’s two largest economies.
India used the event to highlight the need for developing economies to engage with emerging technologies, particularly credible given India’s widespread deployment of DPI.
Our Take: India’s approach to AI is one to watch: the country’s rapid deployment of DPI and digital systems on a national scale has been one of the most significant stories of inclusion over the past decade.
Amongst other things, the India AI Summit called for the development of public-oriented, human-governed AI systems that are built on top of DPI systems and approaches – exemplified by the Telangana Data Exchange (TGDeX) platform, which aims to use a federated data exchange to power ground up AI innovation in the Indian state.
How UK dual nationals can get home without new passports - Gill Bonnett, RNZ
A new digital certificate of entitlement is providing a lifeline for British-New Zealand travelers who would have otherwise been stranded by new border force rules.
The UK government has quietly introduced an alternative for British-New Zealand dual nationals who cannot renew their UK passport in time for the new border requirements coming into effect on 26 February.
Rather than purchasing a new British passport, dual nationals can obtain a certificate of entitlement — a digital record linked to their foreign passport — which will now be issued for free and valid for the life of the passport.
Previously, these certificates cost £589 and were physical stickers.
Our Take: Elsewhere this week, the EU’s digital visa strategy has committed to making applications fully digital by 2028 as part of the broader European Digital Identity Wallet rollout.
60,000 records exposed in cyberattack on Uzbekistani government - Samiksha Jain, The Cyber Express
A cyberattack on three Uzbekistani government agencies in late January has exposed around 60,000 data records.
Skilled hackers gained access to specific systems over a three-day period, but a mass compromise of citizens’ full details was prevented.
Authorities have since blocked further unauthorized access and reinforced protections within the country’s centralized digital identity platform OneID.
The bigger concern is trajectory… Uzbekistan blocked 7 million cyberattacks in 2024, a fraction of those in 2025. Officials warn that even limited data exposure can enable social engineering scams, with fraudsters using partial personal details to impersonate individuals.
Our Take: The official response is as instructive as the attack itself. It was originally reported in viral social media posts that 15 million citizen records were leaked, forcing Uzbekistan's Digital Technologies Minister to move quickly to quash this misinformation. The technical threat is one problem; the public's ability to understand and respond to it is another entirely.
GovTech News in Brief
Bhutan’s crypto experiment shows how hard digital money is in the real world - Ananya Bhattacharya, Rest of World
Nearly a year after becoming the first country to launch a nationwide crypto payment network for tourists, Bhutan's experiment has seen minimal real-world uptake.
Critics argue the initiative reflects the government's interest in monetizing its substantial bitcoin mining reserves rather than genuinely assessing whether the country's infrastructure can support widespread crypto adoption.
Central Bank of Jordan approves Sanad digital ID for IDV purposes - Ayang Macdonald, Biometric Update
Jordan’s central bank has formally approved the Sanad digital identity platform for use in identity verification processes, marking a significant step towards integrating the country’s national digital ID into financial services regulation.
Malta’s first Chief AI Officer appointed to public service - Times of Malta
Malta has appointed its first-ever Chief AI Officer for the public service, a landmark step for a small EU member state and a clear signal of AI governance being institutionalized.
Spain’s Digital DNI achieves full legal parity with physical ID card - ID Tech
Spain’s digital ID service has hit a substantial milestone, gaining full legal parity with its physical ID cousin.
Cyprus to launch 100 new digital services in 2026 - Souzana Psara, Cyprus Mail
Cyprus is doubling down on digital, with over 100 new government services set to be released this year from identity documents to age-verification services.
The Theory Behind the Practice
Where the AI Arc bends - Robert Opp et. al, UNDP
The UNDP explores the “AI Equity Gap”, reflecting on how to roll out AI equitably to make sure it is a tool for social development, not exclusion.
Delivering AI Impact: A leadership agenda for turning technology into public value - Various Authors, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
The TBI presents an impact-focused outline for how low- and middle-income countries can harness AI for public value through Digital Public Infrastructure.
Global Government Forum launches new podcast series examining the milestones of digital transformation - Jack Aldane, Global Government Forum
In a new podcast series, the Global Government Forum hosts present deep dive conversations about digital transformation in government over the past 15 years.
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