What Cloud Signature Consortium does

The Cloud Signature Consortium (CSC) is a Brussels-headquartered non-profit association (VZW under Belgian law, registered BE0687.882.032) founded in 2018 that develops open, royalty-free technical specifications for cloud-based digital signatures and seals. Its primary artifact is the CSC API specification, currently at Version 2.2 (released November 6, 2025), which defines standardized interfaces for remote electronic signature creation, certificate management, and qualified signature workflows. The specifications are inspired by and aligned with the EU eIDAS Regulation (910/2014) and the European Digital Identity Framework, leveraging OAuth 2.0 and OpenID for Verifiable Credentials for identity assurance. CSC supplements the API with the CSC Data Model V1.0.0 (October 21, 2025), the DM Bindings V1.0.0, and a Conformity Checker tool that members use to validate implementations against the spec.

The consortium has grown from 11 founding members in 2018 to over 65 member organizations globally, spanning Trust Service Providers (TSPs), Qualified Trust Service Providers (QTSPs), technology vendors, government bodies, and academic institutions. Notable members include Adobe (an Executive member whose Adobe Sign platform processes more than 6 billion digital signature transactions annually), Intesi Group, Universign, InfoCert, Certinomis, SK ID Solutions, and government organizations such as the Bangladesh Computer Council. CSC's geographic footprint now extends across Europe (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Romania, Denmark, Tunisia), Latin America (Colombia, Chile, Brazil), Asia Pacific (India, China, Japan, Australia, Bangladesh), Africa (South Africa), and North America (USA) — 19+ countries in total.

The organization is funded exclusively through tiered annual membership fees: Associate membership at €3,000/year for organizations building and certifying CSC-compliant solutions, Premium membership at €6,000/year with added committee participation rights, and Executive membership at €10,000/year with board eligibility and event leadership rights. A Liaison Partnership tier is available for non-profits, governments, and regulators, with a 25% discount for non-profits, public sector, academic, and qualifying SME members. Operations are governed by a member-elected Executive Board; Viky Manaila (Intesi Group) has served as President since June 24, 2022, succeeding founding President Andrea Valle (Adobe). The consortium partners with ETSI and FIDO Alliance on parallel standards development and runs recurring community events such as the annual "Trust Without Borders" Summit, most recently held in Cape Town (April 2025), with the next edition scheduled for Bogotá in May 2026.

Name

Cloud Signature Consortium

Legal name

Cloud Signature Consortium VZW

Website

https://cloudsignatureconsortium.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cloud Signature Consortium is a Belgian non-profit standards body developing open APIs (CSC API V2.2, CSC Data Model) for cloud-based digital signatures aligned with eIDAS, serving Trust Service Providers, technology vendors, and governments across 19+ countries through tiered membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership contributions from Associate, Premium, and Executive members. Fees range from €3,000 to €10,000 annually, with 25% discounts available for non-profits, public sector, and SMEs. Fees are prorated monthly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Cloud Signature Consortium develops and publishes open, royalty-free technical specifications (the CSC API and CSC Data Model) for cloud-based digital signatures and remote electronic seals. The specifications enable interoperable, eIDAS-compliant signing transactions through web browsers and mobile devices, allowing Trust Service Providers to manage keys and certificates in the cloud without smart cards or USB tokens. The consortium supports adoption through member certification, conformity validation tools, and tiered membership programs for trust service providers, technology vendors, governments, and academic institutions.

Product overview

The Cloud Signature Consortium (CSC) is a global nonprofit association that develops open standards for cloud-based digital trust services rather than a single commercial product. Its core offerings are open technical specifications — the CSC API (versions V2.2 through V1.0.3.0) and the CSC Data Model (V1.0.0) — which provide interoperability frameworks for remote electronic signatures and seals, integrating with the eIDAS Regulation and European Digital Identity Framework via OAuth 2.0 and OpenID for Verifiable Credentials. The CSC also provides the Conformity Checker tool for members to validate implementations against its specifications. Supplementary offerings include the EUDI Wallet Free QES implementation guidance report and the CSC Industry Market Report 2025. The consortium monetizes through tiered membership programs (Executive at €10,000/year, Premium at €6,000/year, Associate at €3,000/year, and Liaison Partnership for Non-profits/Governments/Regulators), each granting graduated access to specifications, tools, regulatory positions, and committee participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CSC API Open, royalty-free technical specification for Remote Electronic Signatures and Remote Electronic Seals, enabling interoperable cloud-based digital trust services across trust service providers, signing applications and identity systems, with eIDAS-aligned conformance tools.
• CSC Data Model Data-model specification supporting CSC API implementations with the eIDAS Regulation (910/2014) and European Digital Identity Framework, designed for OAuth 2.0 and OpenID for Verifiable Credentials integration.
• CSC Conformity Checker Tool available to CSC members for testing and validating that implementations conform to the CSC technical specifications, enabling use of the CSC CERTIFIED logo on certified products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports cross-border digital signatures for hundreds of millions of European citizens through EUDI Wallet
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Obserwatorium.bizcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2025Co-compiled the CSC Industry Market Report 2025 providing comprehensive overview of electronic signature solutions and digital trust ecosystem worldwide.
• NIMBUScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2025Co-compiled the CSC Industry Market Report 2025 providing research, surveys, and interviews with key market players from regions worldwide.
• ETSIcoreTechnology or IntegrationEuropean Telecommunications Standards Institute collaboration for setting standards for interoperable cloud-based digital signatures. CSC contributed to ETSI Technical Specification 119 432 for fully mobile cloud-based digital signatures.
• FIDO AlliancecoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership supporting parallel development of CSC Specification to facilitate global interoperability of remote signature solutions alongside FIDO authentication standards.
• European Commission eIDAS ObservatorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSC debuted in the eIDAS Observatory with blog post on CSC collaboration with ETSI for cloud-based digital signatures standardization.
• certSIGNminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRomanian Qualified Trust Service Provider that hosted the CSC Interoperability Event 2026 in Bucharest with 18 teams participating in testing.
• AdobecoreTechnology or IntegrationExecutive member and founding supporter; Adobe Sign processes over 6 billion signature transactions annually using CSC-compliant infrastructure. Adobe embraces open standards and pioneers industry standards like PDF.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FIDO Alliance: FIDO Alliance is a core partner and parallel open-standards consortium developing authentication and identity protocols (FIDO2, passkeys). The two organizations explicitly collaborate to align remote signature and authentication standards, making FIDO a direct functional peer.
• W3C (World Wide Web Consortium): W3C drives the Verifiable Credentials Data Model and other foundational web standards that overlap with CSC's data model work. It is a directly comparable global open-standards organization operating in adjacent identity and trust technology areas.
• OpenID Foundation: OpenID Foundation maintains the OpenID Connect and OpenID for Verifiable Credentials specifications, which are explicitly integrated with the CSC API V2.2 for authentication and credentialing. It is a directly comparable open-standards body in the same digital trust stack.
• Trust over IP Foundation: Trust over IP Foundation, a Linux Foundation project, develops digital trust frameworks and verifiable credential infrastructure. It is a directly comparable standards/ecosystem organization targeting the same interoperability goals as CSC.
• OASIS Open: OASIS is a standards consortium that develops open-source standards for security, IoT, and identity (e.g., SAML, XACML, DIDs). It is a directly comparable open-standards organization with overlapping digital trust and security standards work.
• CA/Browser Forum: CA/Browser Forum is an industry consortium that defines standards for certificate issuance and usage, closely aligned with CSC's Trust Service Provider and qualified certificate ecosystem. It is a directly comparable certificate-authority standards body.
• ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute): ETSI is a core strategic partner and fellow standards organization co-developing technical specifications (e.g., TS 119 432) for interoperable cloud-based digital signatures. It is the most directly comparable peer given the mutual development model and shared eIDAS scope.

Regional players

• GSMA: GSMA sets standards for mobile network operators, including mobile identity and digital signature initiatives. It is comparable as a global industry standards organization operating in adjacent mobile identity/credentialing areas that intersect with CSC's mobile-first signing vision.

Emerging players

• Kantara Initiative: Kantara Initiative develops identity assurance, consent receipt, and identity ecosystem specifications, overlapping with CSC's trust services focus. It is a directly comparable but smaller, more identity-assurance-focused consortium.

Broad incumbents

• DocuSign: DocuSign is a major electronic signature and agreement cloud provider with a much larger commercial footprint than CSC's members. It is comparable as a broad incumbent in the cloud-based digital signature market where CSC specification adoption occurs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cloud-signature-consortium

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cloud Signature Consortium