A Distributed Ledger Architecture for Cross-Border Academic Credential Recognition: A Case Study and System Design for Central Asia

Despite regional integration frameworks like the Lisbon Recognition Convention, cross-border academic mobility in Central Asia remains constrained by fragmented credential verification systems. This inefficiency stems from the absence of interoperable infrastructure and asymmetric institutional capacity across national systems. This paper employs a comparative case study to analyze how Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan manage credential recognition. We identify that while Kazakhstan has centralized its digital governance, Kyrgyzstan operates under a bifurcated model where academic and scientific degrees are verified by separate bodies. To address this, we propose the Central Asian Blockchain Education Alliance (CABEA), a consortium blockchain framework acting as a “middleware” layer. This architecture allows for functional centralization without requiring administrative consolidation. Based on the technical specifications of Hyperledger Fabric, the proposed model has the potential to reduce cross-border verification time from weeks to near-instantaneous automated queries. We conclude that distributed ledger technology offers a scalable path for regional educational integration by bridging the gap between divergent state infrastructures.