Sovrin Foundation approves Blockscale Solutions and Sygnet as Sovrin Stewards

March 25, 2019

The Sovrin Foundation welcomes Blockscale Solutions and Sygnet as the newest Stewards of the Sovrin Network. We are always thrilled to see organizations ranging from large enterprises to innovative startups pledging their support for self-sovereign identity (SSI).

“When reviewing the applicants, the Sovrin Foundation looks for organizations that can increase the diversity of our current Stewards in terms of industry, country, size, or expertise,” said Heather Dahl, Sovrin Foundation Executive Director & CEO. “Blockscale Solutions and Sygnet will help bring a startup mindset and a spirit of innovation to the Sovrin ecosystem. These are the vital qualities the community needs to develop the tools and technology necessary for the Sovrin Network to succeed.”

Headquartered in Canada, Blockscale Solutions develops proprietary and customized Blockchain and AI applications for its global client partners around Asset Registry, Asset Tracking, and ID Abstraction. The company’s product suite includes Platform Solutions for Supply Chain and Internal Process and Payment management systems for a variety of industries and use cases.

“The ability for an individual or organization to own and control their identity is a philosophy that much of our company’s efforts are firmly rooted in. Aided by blockchain technology, we look forward to a society where no one central authority is able to define how personal information is shared and one where citizens are empowered with ownership and control of their identity,” said Chami Akmeemana, CEO of Blockscale Solutions. “By becoming a Sovrin Steward, Blockscale Solutions will continue to champion self-sovereign identity protocols and promote how this will help individuals, governments, and humanitarian organizations alike define a more balanced, fair, and equitable ecosystem for all.”

Sygnet is an e-receipt platform based in Poland that uses SSI technology to digitize receipts in a way that does not compromise the consumer’s privacy. The receipts are treated as verifiable credentials issued by the retailer and handed over directly to the consumer. Sygnet will also create AI-driven markets enabling the creation of cheap loyalty programs and the monetization of user’s shopping histories in direct, non-intermediated ways. By becoming a Steward, Sygnet looks to position itself as not only an early Sovrin and SSI adopter but also an expert and think tank in commercial applications using SSI.

Its parent company, Tokenika, is an internationally recognized block producer node on EOS and other delegated proof of stake blockchains, wielding vast technical expertise and regularly contributing to the advancement of concepts around blockchain governance and node efficiency.

“We are very proud and excited to be added to the honorable group of Sovrin Stewards. Being stark proponents of independence and sovereignty online, we see the SSI paradigm as a sheer necessity for a healthy evolution of the internet, enabling the empowerment of the individual through accurate, independent digital representation,” said Marcin Zietek, Head of Strategy at Sygnet. “We would also like to thank the Sovrin Foundation for its ongoing efforts in this noble cause and for assisting us in the process of joining the Sovrin SSI framework. It is the people, not just the ideas, that change things for the better, and the level of involvement of the Sovrin team seems incredible. We look forward to this amazing cooperation.”

When the Sovrin Network launched in July of 2017, the network began with 10 Stewards. Since that time, nearly 70 organizations around the world have been approved by the Foundation to be Stewards. Our Stewards are the trusted organizations that donate time and resources to ensure the privacy and stability of the Sovrin Network by operating the nodes that run the network.

Earlier this week, the Foundation announced that organizations (including Stewards) with use cases currently in development can now write to the Sovrin Public Ledger and issue verifiable digital credentials. Examples of these ledger writes include public decentralized identifiers (DIDs), schema, credential definitions, and other GDPR compliant pieces of public information that abide by the Sovrin Governance Framework and Transaction Endorser Agreement.

The Foundation invites all organizations that are passionate about SSI to participate in the Sovrin ecosystem, whether that’s by becoming a Steward or joining the Sovrin Alliance.