PwC Italy and blockchain consultancy SKChain Advisors are developing a digital identity solution for the European Union using blockchain technology.

The product, built on the World Mobile Chain, a Layer 3 network on Coinbase’s Base, aims to provide a secure, self-sovereign identity framework that allows users to control their personal data without relying on centralized authorities.

The initiative aligns with the European Digital Identity Wallet introduced under the eIDAS 2.0 regulation, which aims to standardize digital identity across the EU, according to a press release shared with crypto.news. 

PwC Italy and SKChain Advisors have completed a feasibility study to determine the optimal SSI framework and are now moving forward with development. 

The solution will act as a gateway for users to access both traditional and Web3 platforms.

Data privacy and security

SSI technology is gaining traction as a way to enhance data privacy and security while complying with regulations such as the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework.

According to a company note, the new digital identity product will support authentication, verification, and interactions with digital asset services. 

This is expected to help enterprises and consumers navigate an increasingly digital economy while ensuring compliance with evolving regulatory standards.

“There has been talk for a long time about whether the EU’s digital identity scheme would use blockchain,” Rob Viglione, CEO of Horizen Labs told crypto.news. “The fact this has been confirmed is a positive step forward. The fact it’s using self-sovereign identity technology is also a positive step.”

World Mobile Chain, the infrastructure supporting the project, is designed to facilitate blockchain adoption among European businesses. As a Layer 3 protocol on Base, it provides scalability and efficiency for decentralized applications. 

The digital ID solution will allow companies to implement blockchain-powered identity verification without compromising privacy.

Viglione emphasizes the importance of privacy in digital identity systems, stating that: “Users need privacy and security guarantees. Any digital ID scheme should be using zero-knowledge proof technology to ensure data remain ‘usable but invisible.’”

The product is expected to streamline digital access across various sectors while giving users greater control over their online identities.

World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a DeFi project backed by President Donald Trump’s family, has acquired substantial amounts of Mantle’s MNT token following last week’s major technological upgrade of the network.

WLFI purchased about 3.54 million MNT for nearly $3 million USDC for an average purchase price of 84 cents, according to data sources Lookonchain and Arkham Intelligence.

The recent purchase has increased WLFI’s coin holdings, which include tokens like ETH, WBTC, TRX, LINK, AAVE, ENA, and others, to over $340 million. However, the Trump family-backed outlet still faced a paper loss of $111 million as of writing.

MNT is the native cryptocurrency of the Mantle Network, serving as a utility token for gas fees and a governance token for the layer 2 ecosystem focused on scaling Ethereum.

The Mantle Mainnet hard fork, or backwards-incompatible upgrade, took effect on March 19, activating EigenDA on the network. EigenDA is a secure, high-throughput, decentralized data availability service on Ethereum.

The EigenDA integration is said to boost Mantle Network’s scalability without hitting data rate limits, reportedly resulting in a 15 MB/s throughput. In other words, the network can process more transactions per block. Additionally, the upgrade has made the Mantle Network better compatible with Ethereum’s impending Pectra upgrade.

MNT traded at 6% higher on the day at 83 cents at press time, according to data sources CoinDesk and TradingView.

Solana, the layer-one blockchain platform, celebrated five years since the launch of its mainnet on March 16, 2020.

To celebrate the milestone, the network shared its accomplishments, which include more than 1,300 validators, nearly $1 trillion in trading volume, and over 408 billion total Solana transactions, in a post on its official X account.

Solana (SOL) was founded in 2017 by Anatoly Yakovenko with the goal of addressing the primary challenge facing blockchain technology. The network aims to strike the right balance between scalability, security, and decentralization.

When combined with proof-of-stake, Yakovenko’s proof-of-history system speeds up transaction processing. Solana has been able to grow while maintaining low costs as a result.

More than 254 million blocks have been generated by Solana since its mainnet went live in March 2020. Since then, the network has grown to be a major force in decentralized finance, with over $7 billion in total value locked in its protocols, according to DeFiLlama data.

Meanwhile, Solana’s stablecoin market has reached $11 billion, down from its peak of over $12.6 billion in February 2025. Similarly, its market cap, which once peaked at $127.5 billion, now stands at $65 billion.

Developer interest in Solana has also significantly increased. It surpassed Ethereum as the most popular blockchain for new developers in 2024. According to Electric Capital’s 2024 developer report, Solana attracted 7,625 new developers in the previous year, accounting for 19.5% of all new entrants in the market.

On Mar. 17, CME Group plans to introduce Solana futures contracts, subject to regulatory clearance. These futures, which are intended to assist investors in protecting themselves from price swings, indicate that Solana is becoming a more widely accepted asset in the cryptocurrency market.

Furthermore, Solana has been included in several exchange-traded funds applications, indicating its increasing mainstream acceptance and room for growth.