[Editor’s note 03/26/25: This post has been updated to more accurately describe the Hopae Digital Credential eXpress architecture.]
Hopae has launched a new developer challenge aimed at advancing electronic ID (eID) integration, offering a $1 million prize pool to participants. The initiative, called the Hopae Bounty Challenge, invites developers to contribute code that integrates eID systems into hConnect, the company’s identity verification API.
The challenge officially began on March 14, 2025, and is open to developers worldwide. Participants are required to sign up, schedule a short meeting with Hopae’s developer team, select an eID system, and submit working code that connects that system to hConnect. Entries will be reviewed and verified by Hopae, with bounties awarded to successful submissions.
According to Hopae, hConnect is a blockchain-based API that enables businesses to verify digital identities through a single interface. The goal of the bounty program is to accelerate the integration of a wide range of global eIDs into this platform, with the broader aim of supporting scalable, secure, and decentralized identity verification systems. The initiative comes as governments and businesses face growing regulatory and security demands, including compliance with frameworks such as eIDAS 2.0.
Hopae is a South Korean digital identity startup founded in April 2022 by developers who previously worked on COOV, the country’s COVID-19 vaccination certificate app. COOV was used by more than 43 million people during the pandemic and demonstrated the scalability of decentralized identifier (DID) technology in high-volume environments.
Building on that experience, Hopae has focused on DID-based digital identity solutions. The company’s patented Digital Credential eXpress (DCX) architecture is designed to empower companies and governments to build secure, compliant digital wallets.
Hopae has raised $6.5 million to date, including a $4.3 million seed round led by SV Investment and $2.2 million in debt financing from the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund (KODIT). The company is using this funding to support global expansion, including the establishment of a U.S. headquarters in San Francisco and additional operations in Paris.
The company is a founding general member of the OpenWallet Foundation, which promotes interoperability for digital wallets through open-source development. Hopae’s current focus areas include esports, travel, and cargo. It recently introduced Hopae.GG, a platform for esports player authentication, and has positioned itself to support implementation of the EU’s eIDAS 2.0 Regulation.
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March 25, 2025 – by Cass Kennedy and Alex Perala
