Caixa Mágica and LIZAR at the L.ID Cabo Verde Workshop on Digital Identity

On Monday 2 November, TECHPARK CV hosts the Cabo Verde Workshop: Digital Identity & eID, 2026 edition. It is an afternoon dedicated to the state of digital identity in Cabo Verde and to what the country can build from it.

Caixa Mágica Software and LIZAR Systems are two of the three sponsors, alongside DevTrust Consulting. Both companies have their own sessions in the programme. LIZAR is also bringing a live demonstration of DRACO, its card personalisation unit.

This article summarises the programme, what each company will present and why Cabo Verde is a good place for this conversation.

What is the L.ID Cabo Verde Workshop?

It is an initiative of L.ID Conference & Digital ID Hub, organised with Kindness Blossom. L.ID is the brand of the LisbonID Conference, whose first edition took place in Lisbon in May 2026 with Caixa Mágica as co-organiser. The workshop brings the same format to Cabo Verde in a shorter version focused on local opportunities. The theme of the edition is connecting identities and building opportunities.

Dress code set by the organisers: business casual.

What is on the programme?

What will Caixa Mágica present?

The 15:25 session, Digital Identity 2030, looks at what will change in digital identity by the end of the decade. Its title brings together three themes that overlap with Caixa Mágica’s work in Portugal and across Europe.

• Global trends. The shift from documents and credentials to digital wallets. In the European Union, member states must make the European Digital Identity Wallet available by 24 December 2026. Other countries are following similar models.
• Standards. The formats and protocols that let a credential issued in one country be read and trusted in another. This is what makes digital identity useful beyond the borders of whoever issues it.
• New trust models. How banks, operators and public services come to trust a digital credential: what they check, what they ask the citizen for and what they no longer need to store.

Caixa Mágica has developed and maintained the Portuguese Citizen Card middleware since 2011. We write regularly about the move to the European wallet, including who must accept it by December 2027 and how an organisation integrates as a relying party.

What will LIZAR show?

At 15:50, Filipe Carvalho of LIZAR Systems speaks about secure identity, physical and digital, from issuance to a trust ecosystem. The session starts from the physical issuance of the document, where many digital identities begin.

During the 16:20 break, LIZAR runs a live DRACO demonstration together with DevTrust’s L.ID Demo Credential experience. DRACO combines laser engraving with contact and contactless chip personalisation in a transportable desktop unit of around 30 kg. It is designed to issue documents close to citizens, in registry offices, consulates or mobile teams.

LIZAR has an office in Praia, which makes this more than a visit. Caixa Mágica built LIZAR’s new web platform, launched in September in five languages. The two companies will be together again at LisbonID 2027.

Why is Cabo Verde the right place for this conversation?

An archipelago poses digital identity problems that a mainland country solves more easily. The population is spread across several islands, network connections are not always stable and central issuance means travelling. We wrote about this in our article on digital identity in archipelagos and the case of Cabo Verde.

For the full chain, from physical issuance to the digital wallet, see our article on the partnership between Caixa Mágica and LIZAR.

What do European standards mean for a country outside the EU?

Cabo Verde is under no obligation to adopt the European Digital Identity Wallet. Even so, the choices Europe is making matter to the archipelago, for three practical reasons.

• Much of the diaspora lives in Europe. Many Cabo Verdeans live in Portugal and other European countries. A credential issued in Cabo Verde that follows the same formats can be read and verified on the other side with less friction.
• The standards are already international. Electronic passports follow ICAO specifications, applied worldwide. The mobile credential formats used in the European wallet rest on ISO standards and open specifications that other countries are also adopting.
• Suppliers work across markets. Choosing technology aligned with European standards means more suppliers to choose from and less risk of being locked into a proprietary solution.

Following the standards does not mean copying the European model. Each country decides who issues, which attributes to include and which services accept the credential. The standards only define the form, so the credential can be read and trusted away from home. That is also why the Caixa Mágica session gives standards as much weight as trends.

What questions do we want to see debated?

The programme covers existing infrastructure, opportunities by sector, the financial system and regional ambition. We arrive at TECHPARK CV with five questions that we think will shape the coming years.

1. Which services should accept digital identity first? Opening a bank account, using public services or signing up for a telecoms contract all bring immediate value to citizens. Starting with a few well-chosen services builds trust faster.
2. How is issuance quality guaranteed on every island? A digital identity is only as reliable as the credential it comes from. Distributed issuance needs the same quality control and the same audit trail at every point.
3. What happens when there is no network? Field verification must work without a permanent connection. That weighs on the choice of technology from the start.
4. How is citizens’ privacy protected? Sharing only the attributes needed and avoiding unnecessary central databases are design decisions, not technical details.
5. Which skills stay in the country? A home-grown digital ecosystem depends on local teams able to maintain and evolve the systems. Eng. Hélio Varela’s session addresses exactly this point.

How do you get the most out of the workshop?

An afternoon with thirteen slots goes by quickly. For anyone coming with specific goals, some preparation makes a difference.

Frequently asked questions

The workshop

Caixa Mágica and LIZAR

Caixa Mágica Team

Caixa Mágica Software is a Portuguese software company with more than 20 years of experience in custom software, applied AI and digital identity. It has developed and maintained the Portuguese Citizen Card middleware since 2011.