Standards and integrations
Credentium is built on European digital credential standards and modern technologies ensuring security, interoperability and ease of integration.
European Digital Credentials for Learning (EDC)
The European standard for issuing, storing and verifying digital educational credentials, developed by the European Commission. It ensures that micro-credentials are recognised and verifiable across the entire EU.
Interoperability
Credentials that are understood and verifiable across the entire European Union, regardless of the country of issuance.
Security
Every credential is sealed with a qualified electronic seal (qSeal), guaranteeing authenticity and immutability.
Europass compatibility
Import into the Europass wallet — manage qualifications in one place for citizens across Europe.
Multilingual support
Support for all 24 official languages of the European Union.
Open Badges
A global digital badge standard — outside the EU regulatory framework
Open Badges is a standard developed by 1EdTech (formerly IMS Global). Version 3.0 uses the W3C Verifiable Credentials data model — the same technical foundation as EDC. Despite this common element, Open Badges are not the same as EDC and differ in key aspects.
EDC
Requires a qualified electronic seal (qSeal) compliant with eIDAS. Uses the European Learning Model (ELM). Recognised under EU regulations. Issued via Europass infrastructure.
Open Badges
Does not require a qualified electronic seal. Uses its own metadata model. Not covered by EU regulations or mentioned in Council recommendations or regulations.
Risks of implementing Open Badges instead of EDC
Open Badges is not a "bad" or prohibited standard — it is widely used globally, especially in non-formal education. However, in the context of EU regulations, eIDAS compliance and future integration with the EUDI Wallet (European Digital Identity Wallet), it is not an alternative to EDC.
Sources: 1EdTech — Open Badges · EDC vs Open Badges — Skills4EOSC analysis (2025)
Qualified electronic seal (qSeal)
An advanced form of electronic seal defined in the eIDAS regulation — the digital equivalent of a company seal with a signature. Credentium® uses qSeal to seal every issued micro-credential.
Authenticity
Confirmation that the credential was issued by a specific, verified institution.
Immutability
Any modification to the credential content after sealing is immediately detected.
Legal force
A qualified seal is legally recognised in all EU member states under the eIDAS regulation.
Non-repudiation
The institution cannot deny that it issued a given credential.
European Learning Model (ELM)
A standard multilingual data model developed by the European Commission for describing qualifications, skills and educational achievements in a unified and understandable way across Europe.
Built on the open W3C Verifiable Credential standard — the first unified and comprehensive data model in the European Education Area.
Available in 24 languages, providing tools for recognising qualifications and validating skills across Europe.
Credentium® is compliant with the latest version of the standard — ELM v3, published in April 2023.
ELM is the technical foundation for the EDC standard, enabling interoperability between different educational systems and platforms.
Blockchain
A distributed and immutable database ensuring the highest level of security. The EDC standard does not explicitly require blockchain, but the technology offers significant benefits:
Data immutability
An immutable record guaranteeing credential authenticity — any modification attempt is immediately detected.
Decentralised security
A distributed architecture ensuring resistance to manipulation and attacks — no single point of failure.
Easy verification
Fast credential authenticity verification without needing to contact the issuer.
Credentium® plans to leverage blockchain technology based on the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI)*, to enable credential authenticity verification using an issuer-independent source of information.
*EBSI is undergoing a transformation into EUROPEUM; a European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (EDIC) operating under the control of member states.
EUROPEUM-EDIC →Europass
Europass is the European career and skills management platform, used by millions of EU citizens to present qualifications, build CVs and plan career paths. Credentials issued by Credentium can be imported directly into the Europass wallet.
Single profile
All qualifications, certificates and micro-credentials in one place — a clear picture of competences for employers and educational institutions.
Professional mobility
Europass facilitates working and studying in different EU countries. Qualifications are presented in a standard format understood across Europe.
Multilingual support
Automatic credential translation into all 24 official EU languages — no additional work required from the issuer.
Automatic import
Micro-credentials compliant with the EDC standard appear in the Europass wallet automatically — no manual uploading or file sending required.
Integrations
Credentium offers a range of integration options with existing educational and student information systems.
REST API
Secure and efficient integration with the Credentium platformThe API uses the latest encryption and authorisation standards. We provide detailed documentation and dedicated technical support.
Moodle Plugin
Credentium® Integration for MoodlePlanned integration with Student Information Systems (SIS) will enable universities to automatically issue micro-credentials based on data from their academic management systems — synchronising completed courses, assessments and grades.
Want to issue digital credentials?
Join the institutions already using Credentium — a micro-credential system compliant with European standards.