News Posts

May 28, 2023

Release update Guardianship whitepaper “On Guardianship in Self-Sovereign Identity V2”

As powerful as SSI is, the technology is limited to individuals who have digital access and the legal and mental capacity to act for themselves, both online and offline. For SSI to work for everyone, guardianship needs to be designed and governed in an accessible, responsible and safe way. This whitepaper, written by the Sovrin […]

March 20, 2023

Resetting the Sovrin TestNet: What You Need to Know

Resetting the Sovrin TestNet: What You Need to Know The Sovrin TestNet has been a vital part of the Sovrin ecosystem for over five years. It is a platform where developers can test their applications, deploy non-production proofs of concept, and where the Sovrin Foundation tests Hyperledger Indy upgrades prior to deploying them on the […]

March 6, 2023

Announcement: removal of 90% discount on TestNet transactions by 1 May 2023

Since April 2022 Sovrin Foundation has been charging a contribution for services on TestNet (formerly known as StagingNet). By offering a 90% discount on TestNet transaction fees, Sovrin wished to support adoption of DIDs and Verifiable Credentials. Sovrin Foundation hereby subsidized the digital identity industry with more than USD $300,000 in 2022. With the standardization […]

December 18, 2022

Announcement: enforcement of accountability requirements on the Sovrin Networks by 1 February 2023

The Board of Trustees performs an annual review of the technical, economic and legal policies in order to secure the sustainability and availability of the Sovrin Utility.  Advice is provided by the Sovrin Finance Committee, the  Technical Governance Board, the Sovrin Steward Council, the Sovrin Governance Framework Working Group and is approved by the Board of […]

May 17, 2022

Monokee becomes a Sovrin Steward

Salt Lake City, UT, 17 May 2022 —The Sovrin Foundation, an international nonprofit focused on the advancement of self-sovereign identity (SSI), is pleased to welcome Monokee as the newest Steward of the Sovrin Network. They join more than  50 other organizations which volunteer their resources in support of the network’s mission and operation. “The Sovrin […]

December 16, 2021

Sovrin welcomes Bluenumber as new steward

Salt Lake City, UT, [December 16 2021}—The Sovrin Foundation welcomes Bluenumber as the newest Steward of the Sovrin Network. They join more than  50 other organizations which volunteer their resources in support of the network’s mission and operation. “Sovrin is excited to enhance it’s vibrant and growing SSI ecosystem in the Global South. We welcome […]

August 17, 2021

Announcement of procedural changes and a revised price plan per September 16th

Announcement of procedural changes and a revised price plan as per September 16, 2021   The Board of Trustees performs an annual review of the technical, economic and legal policies in order to secure the sustainability and availability of the Sovrin Utility.  Advice is provided by the Sovrin Governing Bodies: Sovrin Technical Governance Board, the […]

May 5, 2021

Sovrin and Trust over IP Signed Mutual Agreement to Strengthen Their SSI Collaboration

  The Sovrin Foundation (“Sovrin”) Board of Trustees and Trust over IP Foundation (“ToIP”) Steering Committee are pleased to announce that they have signed a Letter Agreement (dated March 18, 2021). This agreement signifies the commitment of both organizations to mutual cooperation and recognition for each other’s mandates. Sovrin and ToIP intend to work together […]

April 8, 2021

An Open Letter to Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Advocating for Financial Inclusion in its Regulations

On December 23, 2020, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the US Treasury Department published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding “Requirements for banks and money services businesses” related to certain transactions involving convertible virtual currency (CVC) or digital assets with legal tender status (“legal tender digital assets” or LTDA). FinCEN is identifying […]

February 9, 2021

Promoting Banking for All—Announcing the Compliance & Inclusive Finance Working Group (CIFWG)

1.7 billion adults and millions of organizations do not have access to essential financial services; billions more have bank accounts but are unable to use them. Despite initiatives such as the World Bank’s Universal Financial Access program and governmental and industry encouragement, many remain underserved or entirely excluded from the global financial system. For many, […]

October 21, 2020

The Sovrin Community Releases New SSI & IoT Whitepaper

From the Sovrin Foundation SSI & IoT Task Force It’s no secret that computers have gotten faster, smaller and more connected. What isn’t often realized is they are also more pervasive. Commonly known as the Internet of Things (IoT), our automobiles, thermostats, medical devices, livestock tags and door locks now compute and connect across global […]

October 19, 2020

Sovrin Foundation and Trust over IP Foundation Building a Trustworthy Internet for All

Starting during late 2019, Sovrin community members originated the Trust over IP (“ToIP”) concept and helped lead the formation of the ToIP Foundation as a new Linux Foundation project. The missions of each organization are different and highly synergistic.  The mission of the ToIP Foundation is to define a common stack of governance and technology […]

July 17, 2020

Advance the Mission of Identity for All as a Trustee of the World’s Leading SSI Community

Just a few weeks ago, a second generation of Trustees took their seats on Sovrin Foundation’s Board. At that time, five individuals were elected to represent the growing Sovrin community. The Foundation is now looking to expand the Board by electing a few more Trustees.  Since the Board of Trustees represents identity holders around the […]

June 22, 2020

A Second Generation of Trustees Take Their Seats on Sovrin Board

The Annual Meeting of the Sovrin Foundation on June 17 marked the end of a three-month transition into a sharply focused organization that will leverage more of the contributions from community volunteers. The meeting saw a graceful hand-off from the original Trustees, most of whom have served since the launch of the Foundation in 2016, […]

June 4, 2020

The Sovrin Foundation Announces Formation of a New Board of Trustees

June 3, 2020: The Sovrin Foundation announced today a slate of five initial nominees for a new Board of Trustees that will be formally elected at the Foundation’s annual meeting on June 17. This was the culmination of a two-month intensive community feedback process overseen by the Sovrin Transition Committee. “The primary goal of the […]

May 5, 2020

The Creation of the Trust over IP (ToIP) Foundation

The following is the Linux Foundation’s press release that announces the creation of the Trust over IP (ToIP) Foundation. Many of the Founding Members of the ToIP Foundation are active participants of the Sovrin Foundation. To read the original announcement, click here. SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 5, 2020 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization […]

January 28, 2020

Become a member of the Sovrin Foundation

Announcing Sovrin Foundation’s new membership program for champions of data protection and privacy. Note: The Sovrin Foundation has a new membership program for individuals and organizations that wish to become involved with and support the mission of the Sovrin Foundation. To celebrate the start of this initiative, the Foundation will publish a series of blog […]

January 8, 2020

Giving people the privacy protection they need in the coming decade

The Sovrin Network shows how blockchain-based digital identity systems simplify and strengthen data privacy. The emergence of data privacy as a consumer right over the past decade accelerated through a series of scandals and data breaches and reached a crescendo with the introduction of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. Better known as GDPR, […]

August 28, 2019

Sovrin Foundation announces 30-day public review for data protection regulation revisions to the Sovrin Governance Framework

By Drummond Reed, Chair of the Sovrin Governance Framework Working Group The second generation of the Sovrin Governance Framework (SGF V2) was approved by the Sovrin Board of Trustees on March 27, 2019. This established a new baseline set of legal agreements for participants in Sovrin Infrastructure. Once this baseline was established, the Sovrin Governance […]

June 26, 2019

Preparing for the Sovrin Transaction Author Agreement

By: Adam Burdett, Software Engineer, Sovrin Foundation All terms appearing in First Letter Capitals in this article are defined in the Sovrin Glossary. The Sovrin community has approved adding a legal agreement between the Sovrin Foundation and the individuals and organizations that write to the Sovrin Ledger as Transaction Authors. The Transaction Author Agreement (TAA) […]

December 18, 2018

Sovrin Network gets major upgrade: Ready for widespread usage

The Sovrin Network is a decentralized global public network enabling self-sovereign identity on the internet and a successful implementation of Hyperledger Indy. Sovrin has recently announced a major features update improving the overall ledger performance and stability in preparation for widespread adoption. Sovrin Network 1.6 now supports backward compatibility, allowing the ledger to remain online […]

November 29, 2018

Sovrin welcomes EBPI, lab10 collective, Spark, and Swisscom Blockchain as Founding Stewards

We’re excited to welcome the European Business Process Institute (EBPI), lab10 collective, Spark, and Swisscom Blockchain as Founding Stewards. These organizations join more than 50 Sovrin Stewards who span software experts, telecom and IT giants, NGOs, blockchain experts and financial institutions. Sovrin Stewards share a common belief in self-sovereign identity (SSI) as a public utility […]

November 1, 2018

Announcing public review of the Sovrin Governance Framework V2

The Sovrin Foundation is pleased to announce the beginning of the public review period for the Sovrin Governance Framework V2. As the “constitution” of the Sovrin Network, this set of documents specifies the purpose, principles, and policies that govern Sovrin as a global public utility for self-sovereign identity. The first version of the Sovrin Governance […]

October 23, 2018

Press release: Sovrin Foundation, Ontology, and Evernym collaborate on interoperable decentralized identity networks

Today we are excited to announce a collaborative partnership with Evernym and Ontology to co-develop our blockchain-based technologies, together helping advance self sovereign digital identity for all. This work aims to support the interoperability of our respective digital identity networks and we hope to eventually provide a seamless identity management experience for identity holders worldwide. […]

October 15, 2018

Podcast: Sovrin on State of Identity

Sovrin Foundation Board of Trustees Chair Phil Windley recently spoke with “State of Identity” podcast host Cameron D’Ambrosi about self-sovereign identity and how the Sovrin Network is helping redefine digital identity for individuals and institutions alike. Phil and Cameron explore the concept of SSI, the technical hurdles to achieve SSI, and how the Sovrin Network […]

September 27, 2018

Sovrin named a top infrastructure builder by OWI

One World Identity (OWI) is an independent advisory firm that helps business leaders, governments, and investors stay ahead of market trends. In August, OWI released its latest research on blockchain in a whitepaper titled, “Blockchain and Identity in 2018: A Year of Promise and Pilots.” The paper highlights 18 companies and organizations at the forefront […]

September 4, 2018

Newest Steward is the first African bank to join Sovrin Foundation

Please join us in welcoming one of our newest Sovrin Stewards Absa Group, the first African bank and second company from Africa to join the organization. Absa Group is one of Africa’s largest diversified financial services groups with presence in 12 countries on the continent and with more than 42,000 employees. It offers products and […]