Signicat Teams Up with Cryptshare to Enhance Identity Verification in the Enterprise

Signicat Teams Up with Cryptshare to Enhance Identity Verification in the Enterprise

A partnership between digital identity company Signicat and German software solution provider Cryptshare soon will bring to market a new B2B identity verification solution. The new offering marries platform-independent email encryption and secure file transfer technology with trusted sender and recipient identities to ensure secure business communication as well as legal proof of the sender and recipient. With a broad range of use cases in both retail and enterprise markets, the companies anticipate making the new solution available in the third quarter of 2021.

In their partnership announcement, the companies highlighted both the centrality of email as a communication channel for both personal and business use. Despite the rise of alternative forms of communications including text messaging, email is still embraced by 87% of all citizens in the U.K. Businesses can take advantage of the popularity of email, Signicat and Cryptshare assert, if they are willing to take the necessary steps to ensure both security and traceability. Today’s announcement integrates the two companies’ technologies so that Cryptshare’s services can be accessed using eIDAS-compliant secure authentication.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, Signicat made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope in 2017. At the event, the company demonstrated its rapid onboarding and digital signing solutions Signicat Assure and Signicat Sign. Acquired by Nordic Capital in the spring of 2019, the company has since appointed a new CEO in Asger Hattel, acquired Dutch identity verification specialist Connectis, collaborated with fellow Finovate alums like Mambu, and was named one of the fastest growing companies in Europe by The Financial Times.

“We live in a society where now more than ever we must ensure trust between businesses and consumers online,” Hattel said when the announcement in the FT was made. “In Signicat, we are building a progressive digital trust company that both embraces innovation and business needs in this area. We have a decade’s worth of experiencing building the tools, so we are ideally placed to address this growing market opportunity.”

Signicat partner Cryptshare is headquartered in Freiburg im Breisgau in Southern Germany. Founded in 2000, the company has four million users of its technology in 30 countries around the world, including 2,000 corporate customers. Dominik Lehr is CEO.

Mambu and Signicat Team Up to Digitize Identity Management in Europe

Mambu and Signicat Team Up to Digitize Identity Management in Europe

A just-announced partnership between two Finovate alums – Mambu and Signicat – will bring digitized identity management services to banks, fintechs, and financial service providers across Europe. The collaboration between the SaaS banking platform and the digital identity company is designed to help institutions in the region leverage innovations in identity management to boost customer acquisition, enhance the customer experience, and defend against identity fraud.

The single-API integration between Signicat’s identity platform and Mambu will enable users to apply a variety of digital identity verification solutions to a range of processes, including onboarding, identity authentication, and e-signatures. In their joint statement, both companies highlighted abandonment as one challenge the new integration will help companies meet. They noted that 63% of consumers in Europe quit at least one financial app in the last year, citing research conducted by Signicat.

At the same time, the integration also will help companies deal with the new environment for cybercrime, particularly identity fraud, which has flourished in the work-from-home, COVID-19 era. “Identity fraud continues to be a major threat to businesses across the globe and damages trust,” Mambu Managing Director for EMEA Eelco-Jan Boonstra said. “And with everyone working from home – the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated this. Therefore financial service providers are relying on customer trust and loyalty more than ever.”

Asger Hattel, who took over as Signicat’s CEO in January of last year, underscored the way the pandemic had accelerated pre-existing trends toward digitization. “Global lockdowns have turned a desire for digital services into an urgent need,” Hattel said. “Our research into consumer attitudes towards onboarding show that financial service providers are struggling to keep up with consumer’s digital demands – and it is costing them customers.”

Mambu’s partnership with Signicat comes in the wake of the Mambu’s $132+ million (€110 million) fundraising last month – which brought the company’s total valuation to more than $2 billion (€1.7 billion). Also last month, Mambu announced the addition of new Chief Financial Officer Langley Eide. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Mambu is an alum of both our Finovate conferences – debuting in 2013 at FinovateAsia – and our event for developers and engineers – FinDEVr New York, in 2016.

Based in Trondheim, Norway, Signicat specializes in providing identity assurance worldwide, enabling banks to leverage existing customer identity to accelerate onboarding, improve access to services, and connect users, devices, and more across channels and markets. A Finovate alum since 2017, Signicat has raised $8.8 million in funding from investors including Horizon 2020, Viking Venture, and Secure Identity Holding.


Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels

Top Ten Fintech Hires of 2020 … So Far

Top Ten Fintech Hires of 2020 … So Far

This week’s announcement that Stripe had hired former General Motors Chief Financial Officer Dhivya Suryadevara as its own new CFO is a reminder that the hunt for top talent in fintech has never been hotter. As tech titians and financial services giants embrace fintech solutions, the pressure to find the most effective leaders, the most insightful technologists, and other key executives is forcing companies to up their game when it comes to attracting the best of the best.

With that in mind, here are another nine companies who in 2020 have done just that: made a major, C-suite addition to their leadership ranks that should help propel their respective companies to the next level.


Nicolas Weng Kan – Yolt CEO – news. Former Google Compare CEO Kan took the helm of ING’s smart money app, Yolt, as well as Yolt Technology Services (YTS), a provider of open banking services in Europe last month. Yolt won Best Personal Finance App at the Wealth & Finance FinTech Awards earlier this month.

Anna Manz – London Stock Exchange CFO – news. The London Stock Exchange has a new Chief Financial Officer as former Johnson Matthey CFO and executive director Anna Manz succeeds David Warren, who had held the position since 2012. Prior to her time at Johnson Matthey, Manz spent more than 16 years in executive roles with Diageo.

Lucy Hagues – Capital One UK CEO – news. Hagues, who spent three years as Chief Marketing Officer at Capital One UK and is an alum of the firm’s graduate program, replaced outgoing CEO Amy Lenander. Hagues is the first program graduate to reach the CEO’s office.

Nkihil Rathi – Financial Conduct Authority CEO – news. Appointed CEO of the FCA at the age of 40, U.K. head of the London Stock Exchange Rathi is the first member of an ethnic minority to lead the regulatory body.

Steven van Rijswijk – ING CEO – news. ING Chief Risk Officer Steven van Rijswijk is the company’s latest CEO. He took over for outgoing Ralph Hamers who is headed toward a CEO post at UBS. Van Rijswijk’s promotion comes after 25 years of service at the bank.

Brady Harris – Dwolla CEO – news. Former President of payment solution provider Payscape, Harris was tapped by Dwolla founder Ben Milne to lead the company this spring. Milne praised Harris for helping lead Payscape’s merger with Payroc, “creating a full-service payment powerhouse that operates in 46 countries.”

Michael Miebach – Mastercard CEO – news. “Putting products first” might be one way to describe Mastercard’s decision to replace its outgoing CEO Ajay Banga – who is transitioning to the role of executive chairman – with the company’s chief product officer Michael Miebach. A 10-year Mastercard veteran, Mieback is credited for being a “key architect” of the company’s “multi-rail strategy.”

Hironori Kamezawa – MUFG CEO – news. The appointment of Kamezawa as Chief Executive Officer of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group was a bit surprising, insofar as the outgoing CEO has only been in place for a year. But observers speculated that Kamezawa’s leadership will likely mean a broader and more aggressive embrace of fintech by the company.

Asger Hattel – Signicat CEO – news. A new year, a new CEO for the Denmark-based digital identity solution provider as former CEO and Head of Nets Merchant Services Asger Hattel took leadership of Signicat in January. Hattel replaces company co-founder Gunnar Nordseth, who will remain as a shareholder and help support business development.


Photo by Sebastian Voortman from Pexels

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Vymo Brings AI-Powered Sales Coaching to Insurance Giant Sompo
  • Klarna Picks Amazon Web Services as Preferred Cloud Partner

Around the web

  • Trusted digital identity specialist Signicat partners with payment information service SurePay.
  • 24sessions opens doors at its first regional office in Paris, France.
  • Revolut for Business introduces support for GBP Direct Debits.
  • eXate joins the first cohort of the Velocity Birmingham Fintech Hub.
  • Temenos appoints Michelle Tea as Managing Director for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Signicat Inks Payments Verification Partnership with Twikey

Signicat Inks Payments Verification Partnership with Twikey

A new partnership between verified digital identity specialist Signicat and Twikey will make it easier for merchants in Belgium and the Netherlands to accept digitally-signed SEPA e-mandates for recurring purchases. The arrangement will enable firms to reduce costs and improve efficiency by moving away from paper-based SEPA processes.

“By working with Twikey, we can offer a streamlined solution to the market where businesses are able to identify who they are dealing with online, build the mutual trust, and get an e-mandate for ongoing payments with their customers,” Signicat CEO Gunnar Nordseth said.

SEPA mandates provide an authorization that enables merchants to accept future and recurring payments for services such as rent and utilities. While such mandates have historically required consumers to make actual trips to the bank to sign paper authorizations, the partnership between Signicat and Twikey will allow consumers to sign SEPA e-mandates digitally.

Belgium-based Twikey enables businesses to better manage recurring payments to save money and time. Founded in 2013, the company’s technology also helps its customers get 70% to 97% of their invoices to recurrent customers paid in two days or less. Twikey founder Dominique Adriansens pointed to the growth in the company’s digital SEPA mandate business as a key reason for the partnership with Signicat.

“We have already more than 1 million consumers in Belgium and the Netherlands having signed SEPA mandates digitally,” Adriansens said. “In a lot of cases contracts need to be signed upfront and that’s where Signicat comes in.” He praised the company’s experience in deploying digital identity verification in Europe, calling Signicat “the ideal match for assisting companies in search of more digitalization.”

Signicat demonstrated a pair of digital verification solutions – Signicat Assure and Signicat Sign – at FinovateEurope 2017. As of this month, the company offers identity verification in 208 countries using identity document scanning, web-based video interviews, and NFC scanning of passports. Also this month, Signicat partnered with Swisscom Trust Services to integrate qualified e-signatures (QES) into its platform.

In October, Signicat introduced a handful of new platform capabilities, including a new interface and new third party integrations. Over the summer, the company purchased Norwegian digital identity firm, Idfy, one of the fastest growing digital trust companies in the region. Signicant also teamed up with open identity scheme for financial services, yes.com, earlier this year, helping streamline onboarding, authentication, and e-signatures for the German digital identity service.

Winner of the bobsguide’s Best Retail Banking System Integration Award – along with Rabobank – Signicat was acquired by Nordic Capital in April. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed. Prior to the acquisition, Signicat had raised $8.8 million in funding.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Signicat Inks Payments Verification Partnership with Twikey

Around the web

  • Citi goes live with Citi Global Collect, a new cross-border B2B payments tool.
  • Sezzle opens new office in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  • Finastra hires Lisa Fiondella as Chief Data Officer.
  • ZagTrader wins full certification for its market making technology from Bourse Kuwait.
  • Optimove extends partnership with multiplatform gaming service provider Funstage.
  • Revolut taps Pierre Decote as its new Chief Risk Officer.
  • Signicat teams up with Twikey on payments.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • SME Challenger Bank Recognise Signs on Mambu.
  • Digital Realty to Buy Interxion for $8.4 Billion.

Around the web

  • Stratifyd expands workforce by 200 people, moves to a new 30,000 square-foot office.
  • Lendio named to MountainWest Capital Network’s 2019 Utah 100 List.
  • Square leverages DriveWealth’s trading API to compete with the likes of Robinhood.
  • Signicat now offers identity verification in 208 countries through identity document scanning, web-based video interviews, and NFC scanning of passports.
  • SpareBank1 to leverage Minna Technologies to help customers cancel their unwanted subscriptions.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Splitit Secures Partnerships with Shopify, Divido.
  • Thought Machine Helps Standard Chartered Launch Digital Bank in Hong Kong.
  • OurCrowd Teams Up with Toyota in Search for Tech Talent.
  • Saving for What Matters: A Q&A with INSPIRAVE Founder and CEO Om Kundu.

Around the web

  • FinovateFall Best of Show winner Cinchy earns $500,000 cash prize as one of the winners of the 2019 VentureClash competition.
  • Signicat unveils new capabilities, including a new technical interface and new third party integrations, that extend the reach of its digital identity verification technology.
  • Arkose Labs VP of Marketing and Strategy Vanita Pandey and Senior Producer Hedda Peters win Women in Cybersecurity honors at the Cyber Defense Global Awards sponsored by Cyber Defense Magazine.
  • nCino partners with Seacoast Bank ($8.6 billion in assets).
  • iProov earns a finalist spot in the 2019 Go:Tech Awards.
  • Compliance and risk management firm Middesk brings its business verification tool to the Dwolla Partner Ecosystem.
  • Kinetica opens office in Melbourne, Australia.
  • Ping Identity adds to its North European operations with a new office in Utrecht, Netherlands.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

Around the web

  • Fiserv unveils its new mobile bill presentment solution.
  • Digital identity solutions company Signicat acquires Norway’s Idfy.
  • Blackhawk Network announces payments industry veteran and former InComm executive Mark Singer as its new APAC Managing Director.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Tink Secures Strategic Investment from PayPal.
  • InComm Buys Hallmark Cards Subsidiary.

Around the web

  • ACI Worldwide makes strategic investment in Indian digital payments company Mindgate Solutions.
  • Currencycloud and VISA forge partnership to fuel innovation in cross-border and travel payments.
  • Trulioo partners with Refinitiv to improve access to digital identity solutions.
  • German open digital identity scheme yes.com to integrate into Signicat’s Digital Identity Platform.
  • Splitit appoints former Intuit and PayPal Exec to lead North American operations.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Signicat Acquired by Nordic Capital

Signicat Acquired by Nordic Capital

Identity assurance provider Signicat has been acquired by private equity investor Nordic Capital, which hopes to accelerate the company’s international expansion. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Fredrik Näslund, Partner at the Advisor to the Nordic Capital Funds, said Signicat “has shown consistent high growth since inception, driven both by a rapidly increasing number of customers and strong volume growth among existing customers.” He added that the company’s “highly experienced management team is well positioned to capitalize on enormous growth opportunities across geographies, customer verticals and products, as the digital transformation of the economy continues.”

Nordic Capital acquired Signicat from Secure Identity Holding, Viking Venture III, and other shareholders. Viking will re-invest proceeds from the deal, making it a minority owner.

Signicat’s digital identity solutions make customer onboarding faster, more secure, and compliant with privacy and data protection regulations by replacing paper-based processes. At FinovateEurope 2017, the company showcased Signicat Assure, a digital identity verification product; and Signicat Sign, an e-signature offering.

Gunnar Nordseth, CEO and Co-Founder of Signicat, referred to Nordic Capital as “the most prominent and experienced investors” in fintech and said that the company is the “perfect partner” to support Signicat’s international expansion strategy.

Founded in 2007, Signicat’s 115 employees across offices in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the U.K., Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal serve 500 clients including Klarna, Rabobank, Santander, Société Générale and Western Union, BMW, and Konica Minolta. Prior to today’s announcement, Signicat had raised almost $9 million.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Overbond Launches COBI Matching in Pivot to Analytics.
  • YellowDog Raises $3.3 Million in Series A.
  • Nutmeg Says No to IPO, Opts for Crowdfunding Instead.

Around the web

  • Ledger integrates with Cardano’s ADA and Yoroi Wallets.
  • Insuritas partners with SouthEast Bank to launch bank-owned digital insurance agency platform.
  • Adobe unveils Commerce Cloud, a customizable and scalable platform to manage, personalize, and optimize the commerce experience.
  • SigFig unveils SigFig Atlas, a financial advice and software-guided sales platform.
  • InComm and WH Smith launch in-store, online hubs for game cards in the U.K.
  • UBank integrates Watson into its customer service offerings with RoboBrain, a Watson-enabled virtual assistant.
  • Token.io and Konsentus launch fast PSD2 compliance solution by combining a PSD2 API with automated TPP verification.
  • Verimi and Signicat partner to deliver verified digital identity solution for European enterprises.
  • HooYu to provide ID verification for esports betting platform, Luckbox.
  • Qover earns a spot on Programmable Web’s list of 13 Notable Insurance APIs.
  • WRAL Tech Wire features Spreedly in a look at local technology companies.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.