Why Interoperability is the Next Layer of Digital Infrastructure

Digital infrastructure has advanced rapidly over the past decade. Identity systems like Aadhaar and MOSIP made it possible to confirm who a person is. Payment platforms such as UPI turned instant, low-cost transactions into a daily habit. Document lockers and commerce networks expanded these gains into new domains.

Yet even as each layer has grown, a common limitation remains: most systems operate in silos. Health data does not connect with education credentials. Climate registries cannot easily interact with financial systems. Supply chain records remain isolated from trade compliance platforms. Without the ability to connect, digital systems fall short of their promise.

Interoperability is the missing layer.

It is not enough to digitise one sector at a time. The next stage is to make registries across sectors and borders work together seamlessly. This requires open standards, shared architecture, and governance models that allow information to move securely between trusted systems.

Countries that succeed will unlock new possibilities: faster flow of climate finance, smoother mobility of students and workers, stronger health systems, and more resilient supply chains. Those that fail risk building fragmented digital islands that replicate old inefficiencies.

Interoperability is not a technical luxury. It is the condition that will determine whether digital infrastructure remains piecemeal or becomes the foundation of inclusive growth.