The digitalization of government is no longer just about putting services online — it’s about building public infrastructure that fosters trust.
In Mexico, the Government of Nuevo León is advancing in that direction with a strategy that combines administrative simplification, interoperability, and a modern vision of digital identity.
In this second episode of Sovra Podcast, Lucas Jolías speaks with Mariela Saldívar Villalobos, Head of the State Commission for Regulatory Improvement in Nuevo León, about how her team transformed a paper-based bureaucracy into NLínea — the state’s first interoperable digital platform with verified identity and blockchain-protected documents.
What you’ll find
How a state government moved from paper archives to a digital platform with verified identity and full traceability.
The role of the OECD in guiding the “simplify before you digitize” approach.
The story behind NLínea, Mexico’s first one-stop digital platform with authentication based on verifiable credentials.
How Nuevo León is integrating blockchain and preparing to launch a decentralized identity wallet.
The institutional, legal, and cultural challenges of scaling an interoperable and trusted digital model.
💬 “We’d like people to find it hard to believe there was a time when they had to take a day off work just to do a paper-based procedure.”
With that reflection, Mariela Saldívar captures the essence of true digital transformation: measuring progress not just by the number of services online, but by the tangible improvement in people’s lives.
The NLínea initiative aims precisely for that — to make interacting with government as seamless, secure, and familiar as shopping online, yet built on the standards and accountability that public service demands.
The journey wasn’t immediate. It required institutional clarity, political leadership, and a strategy that prioritized simplification before technology. Before building a platform, the team redesigned processes, set clear standards, and established a legal framework to ensure sustainability.
Today, Nuevo León is preparing for the next step: launching a digital identity wallet that allows citizens to securely access and carry government-issued, blockchain-verified credentials.
The goal is both technological and institutional: to strengthen trust between governments and citizens through security, interoperability, and verifiable digital identity.
🎧 Listen to the full episode on Youtube (Activate English CC)