Xolphin

What Xolphin does

Xolphin B.V. is a Netherlands-based SSL/TLS certificate and digital signature provider, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Alkmaar. The company operates as the only Registration Authority for Sectigo (formerly Comodo) in Europe, a designation that allows Xolphin's in-house validation team — operating in 11 languages — to validate and issue Sectigo certificates directly, enabling Extended Validation delivery within one to two business days versus industry norms of several days. Its product portfolio spans Domain Validation, Organization Validation, and Extended Validation SSL certificates (sold under sub-brands such as PositiveSSL, PremiumSSL, InstantSSL, and Sectigo SSL), plus S/MIME email certificates, code-signing and EV code-signing certificates, PDF-signing certificates, and Qualified Website Authentication Certificates (QWAC) introduced in 2021.

Commercially, Xolphin runs a hybrid direct-to-customer and reseller model. Direct customers transact via xolphin.com and localized sites in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany, with multi-currency pricing in EUR, GBP, USD, DKK, and SEK. A network of over 3,000 European resellers — including web hosts, IT providers, and system integrators — purchases certificates at volume discounts starting at 5% for 10+ certificates annually, integrating Xolphin via REST/SOAP APIs and WHMCS/HostFact plugins. The company holds ISO 27001:2022, ISO 9001:2015, and WebTrust certifications, and offers a Control Panel, SSLCheck diagnostic tool, and SSL Certificate/Help Wizards as customer-support tooling. In December 2020, Xolphin was acquired by Sectigo, the global Certificate Authority, and continues to operate as a separate brand under the Sectigo portfolio.

Name

Xolphin

Legal name

Xolphin B.V.

Website

https://xolphin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Xolphin is a Netherlands-based SSL/TLS certificate and digital signature provider, founded in 2002 and acquired by Sectigo in 2020. It serves SMBs, enterprises, and 3,000+ European resellers as the only Registration Authority for Sectigo in Europe, offering DV, OV, and EV certificates plus code and PDF signing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

SSL Certificate Services

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Fraud Prevention & Identity Verification (IDV/KYC) (BPAMAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Single Sign-On (SSO) & Federation (SAML/OIDC, Identity Providers) (HDAEAJAB)

Keywords

• SSL certificates
• Digital signatures
• Code signing
• Certificate authority
• PKI services

Headquarters

HQ city

Heerhugowaard

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SSL Certificate Sales: One-time sales of SSL certificates with varying validation levels (DV, OV, EV) and domain coverage (single domain, multi-domain, wildcard). Certificates issued for terms of 1-5 years with pricing based on validation level and certificate type.
2. Digital Signature Certificates: Sales of email certificates, code signing certificates, and PDF signing certificates. Revenue generated from initial certificate purchase with potential renewal income as certificates expire.
3. Reseller Program: Volume-based sales to over 3,000 European resellers who purchase certificates for resale to their own customers. Reseller discounts applied based on order volume, starting from 10 certificates per year with 5% discount.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Xolphin issues and resells SSL/TLS certificates (DV, OV, EV, wildcard, multi-domain, QWAC) and digital signature certificates (S/MIME email, code signing, EV code signing, PDF signing), operating as the Registration Authority for Sectigo in Europe. The company combines a multilingual validation team, in-house Control Panel and REST/SOAP APIs for automated issuance, a free SSLCheck scanning tool, and a 3,000+ reseller network to deliver fast certificate delivery to businesses and developers.

Product overview

Xolphin is a SSL certificate and digital signature provider, founded in 2002 and acquired by Sectigo in 2020. The company operates as a Registration Authority for Sectigo, enabling rapid certificate validation across Europe. The product portfolio centers on SSL/TLS certificates (including EV, OV, and DV types with brands like PositiveSSL, PremiumSSL, and InstantSSL) for securing website traffic, complemented by digital signature products covering email signing (S/MIME), code signing, and PDF signing certificates. Additional offerings include the SSLCheck tool for certificate installation verification, a customer Control Panel for account management, an API for reseller automation, and the Sectigo Web Security Platform for broader web security needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates High-assurance SSL/TLS certificates that authenticate the requesting organization against a strict identity-verification process and display the company name in the certificate details, targeted at businesses that want maximum trust indicators in browsers.
• Organization Validation (OV) SSL Certificates Standard-assurance SSL/TLS certificates that authenticate the requesting organization's identity, suitable for public-facing business sites that need verified identity without the full EV process.
• Domain Validation (DV) SSL Certificates Entry-level SSL/TLS certificates that validate only domain control and can be issued quickly, intended for basic HTTPS needs such as blogs, simple business sites, and dev/test environments.
• Wildcard SSL Certificates SSL/TLS certificates that secure a primary domain and an unlimited number of subdomains under it, for organizations running multi-subdomain properties on a single certificate.
• Multi-Domain SSL Certificates (SAN/UCC) SSL/TLS certificates that secure multiple distinct domain names within a single certificate using Subject Alternative Names (SAN), commonly used to consolidate certificates across heterogeneous web properties.
• QWAC Certificates (Qualified Website Authentication Certificates) eIDAS/PSD2-aligned qualified website authentication certificates for payment service providers and other regulated entities that need a qualified certificate under EU regulation for their public web interfaces.
• Email / S/MIME Certificates Digital certificates that let individuals and organizations sign and encrypt email (S/MIME) for authenticity, integrity, and non-repudiation, available in personal/business variants.
• Code Signing Certificates Code-signing certificates that allow developers and publishers to digitally sign software (executables, drivers, scripts, installers) so end users see a trusted publisher name and can verify the code has not been tampered with.
• EV Code Signing Certificates Higher-assurance code-signing certificates with extended validation, delivered on a hardware token, that give software immediate SmartScreen reputation with Microsoft and meet stricter publisher authentication requirements.
• PDF Signing Certificates Digital certificates used to sign PDF documents in a tamper-evident way so recipients can verify the signer's identity and that the document has not been altered after signing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Extended Validation certificates delivered within 1 business day
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• NL DigitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association partnership displaying Xolphin's logo as a trusted member, positioning them within the Dutch digital business community.
• Thuiswinkel WaarborgminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with the Dutch Thuiswinkel (home shopping) certification program, indicating Xolphin as a trusted SSL provider for e-commerce businesses.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Namecheap SSL: Domain registrar and hosting provider reselling SSL certificates through its platform. Comparable because Namecheap competes on price and ease of purchase for the same SMB and individual customer segment, with a stronger U.S. footprint versus Xolphin's European focus.
• Actalis: Italian Certificate Authority offering SSL/TLS, eIDAS-compliant, and digital signature certificates primarily across Southern Europe. Comparable because Actalis targets the same European market for regulated certificate products, competing with Xolphin in Italy and adjacent geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Entrust: Broad security and identity provider with a significant Certificate Authority business including SSL, code signing, and PKI solutions. Comparable because Entrust serves enterprise customers with overlapping certificate and digital signature products and competes for the same regulated authentication spend.
• Sectigo: Xolphin's parent company and the world's leading commercial Certificate Authority. Comparable because Sectigo offers the same SSL/TLS, S/MIME, and code signing products through its own direct channels, competing with Xolphin in many European accounts despite the subsidiary relationship.
• GoDaddy SSL (GoDaddy Group): Large hosting and domain registrar that bundles SSL certificates into its broader product suite. Comparable because GoDaddy sells SSL certificates — many powered by Sectigo/DigiCert infrastructure — competing for the same SMB customer base that Xolphin serves through direct and reseller channels.

Direct peers

• RapidSSL: DigiCert-owned sub-brand offering low-cost DV SSL certificates. Comparable because RapidSSL competes in the same entry-level DV segment as Xolphin's PositiveSSL products, often used by SMBs and developers seeking quick, affordable certificates.
• DigiCert: Global leader in high-assurance SSL/TLS and PKI solutions including the former Symantec SSL portfolio. Comparable because DigiCert sells the same DV/OV/EV SSL certificates and enterprise PKI services, and is even offered through Xolphin's own product catalog as a third-party brand.
• SSL.com: Specialist SSL/TLS and digital certificate provider offering DV, OV, EV, and code signing certificates. Comparable because SSL.com competes head-to-head with Xolphin in the SMB and reseller channel for paid certificate products across similar price points and validation tiers.
• GlobalSign: Established Certificate Authority offering SSL/TLS, digital signing, and PKI solutions. Comparable because GlobalSign is also offered through Xolphin as a third-party supplier, and competes directly in the European SSL and identity market with similar SMB and reseller-oriented positioning.

Emerging players

• Let's Encrypt: Free, automated, open-source Certificate Authority issuing DV SSL/TLS certificates at scale. Comparable because Let's Encrypt targets the same SMB and small website customer base that buys Xolphin's DV tier, exerting significant pricing pressure on the lower end of the SSL market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sslcertificaten
• Facebookfacebook.com/xolphin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xolphin-ssl-certificaten

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Xolphin