Charter of Trust

What Charter of Trust does

Charter of Trust is a non-profit alliance of global companies that advances cybersecurity and digital trust through collaborative development of principles, baseline requirements, frameworks, and policy recommendations. Founded in February 2018 at the Munich Security Conference by Siemens and eight founding partners (Airbus, Allianz, Daimler Group, IBM, MSC, NXP, SGS, Deutsche Telekom), the alliance has grown to 19+ partner companies and associated partners including Allianz, Atos, Bosch, Danfoss, Elastic, IBM, Infineon Technologies, Microsoft, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Palo Alto Networks, Siemens, TÜV SÜD, Zscaler, Munich Security Conference, Cloud Security Alliance, Shared Assessments, CEBRI, and academic institutions such as Hasso Plattner Institute and Graz University of Technology. Its work is organized into five working groups — Security by Default, Supply Chain Security, Emerging Technologies, Education, and External Engagement — plus a newly launched Cyber Deterrence Working Group (June 2026).

The alliance's core technology deliverables are not commercial products but policy artifacts and frameworks: 10 Cybersecurity Principles, Security by Default baseline requirements (Phase 1 covering products/functionalities/technologies and Phase 2 covering processes/operations/architectures), Secure Development Lifecycle guidelines, a Post-Quantum Cryptography framework and white paper, a Trustworthiness in AI Framework aligned with the EU AI Act, and a Human-to-Human Threat Intelligence Network using the Information Sharing Traffic Light Protocol (ISTLP) facilitated by the TruSTAR platform. It does not develop proprietary technology products and does not sell software or services.

The business model is member-funded and non-commercial: the alliance is operated by Siemens Aktiengesellschaft (headquartered in Munich, Germany) and funded through member contributions from partner and associated partner companies. All publications, guidelines, and reports are made freely available on charteroftrust.com. GTM is community-led, driven by onboarding new partners, expanding into new sectors and countries (members operate across 190 countries), and engaging with policymakers and regulators in the EU, US, UK, Singapore, Australia, Japan, India, Brazil, and other regions. Revenue from a commercial standpoint is not applicable.

Name

Charter of Trust

Legal name

Charter of Trust (operated by Siemens Aktiengesellschaft)

Website

https://charteroftrust.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Charter of Trust is a non-profit alliance of 19+ global companies that collaboratively develops cybersecurity principles, baseline requirements, frameworks, and policy recommendations across five working groups, serving member enterprises, regulators, and SMEs worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Industry Alliance

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Investigation and Security Services (5616)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Security Architecture & Engineering Advisory (Zero Trust, IAM, Network) (BPAKADAF)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity alliance
• Digital trust framework
• Supply chain security
• Post-quantum cryptography
• Public-private partnership

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Member Contributions / Membership Dues: Charter of Trust is a non-profit alliance funded by contributions from its partner and associated partner companies. There is no commercial revenue model as the organization exists to advance cybersecurity and digital trust objectives shared by its members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Charter of Trust is a non-profit alliance of global companies that develops cybersecurity principles, baseline requirements, guidelines, frameworks, and policy recommendations for its members to implement. Its core deliverables include the Security by Default baseline requirements (Phase 1 and Phase 2), Secure Development Lifecycle guidelines, cybersecurity risk assessment guidelines, Post-Quantum Cryptography frameworks, AI trustworthiness frameworks, and a Human-to-Human Threat Intelligence Network. The alliance operates across five activity areas: Security by Default, Supply Chain Security, Emerging Technologies, Education, and External Engagement, and produces white papers, frameworks, and training programs for its partner ecosystem.

Product overview

The Charter of Trust is a non-profit alliance of global companies that are thought leaders and pioneer practitioners in cybersecurity and digital trust. The organization is structured around five key activity areas: Security By Default, Supply Chain Security, Emerging Technologies, Education, and External Engagement. These are operationalized through dedicated working groups that produce guidelines, baseline requirements, white papers, and reports. Key deliverables include the Secure Development Lifecycle Guidelines (Phases 1 and 2), Post-Quantum Cryptography white papers, the Cyber Deterrence Working Group's publications, and the Trustworthiness in AI Framework. The alliance also manages the Cyber Talent Academy for education and training initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Security by Default Baseline Requirements
• Secure Development Lifecycle Guidelines
• Charter of Trust PQC Ambition
• Decrypting the Future: Global Timelines for Post-Quantum Cryptography White Paper
• Trustworthiness in AI Framework
• Cyber Deterrence White Paper
• Hybrid Threats Report
• Cyber Talent Academy
• Cyber Deterrence Working Group

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% of cyberattacks originate from supply chain vulnerabilities, and 60% of those incidents affect smaller companies — Charter of Trust's supply chain baseline requirements address this gap by requiring suppliers to meet cybersecurity standards.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, founding partner and associated.

• ZscalercoreTechnology or Integration · 29 September 2025Zscaler joined Charter of Trust as a new partner in September 2025. Zscaler is a leading cloud enterprise security provider. Sam Curry, Zscaler CISO, emphasized the need for reducing inherent trust and default access, and the importance of industry coalition to stay ahead of evolving threats.
• Siemensfounding partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2018Siemens is the founding company and primary operator of Charter of Trust. As the entity responsible for the Charter of Trust website and legal operations, Siemens plays a central role in coordinating the alliance, hosting its events, and driving the collaborative cybersecurity mission alongside other global partners.
• AllianzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllianz is a core partner of Charter of Trust. Dr. Ralf Schneider, Senior Fellow and Head of Cybersecurity and NextGenIT Think Tank at Allianz SE, was elected Co-Chair of Charter of Trust in February 2025 alongside Dr. Sumit Chanda from Atos.
• AtoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtos is a core partner and Co-Chair organization of Charter of Trust. Dr. Sumit Chanda, COO/CISO at Atos Group Security, was elected Co-Chair of the alliance in February 2025. Atos contributes to multiple working groups including the Global External Engagement Group.
• Bosch (Robert Bosch GmbH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBosch is a core partner of Charter of Trust, contributing expertise in cybersecurity, AI, and operational technology. Bosch's Dr. Christoph Peylo serves as AI Task Force Lead of the Charter of Trust.
• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicrosoft is a core partner of Charter of Trust. Microsoft contributes to multiple initiatives including the CyberTrust Talks series, RSA Conference panels, and provides expertise on AI governance and regulatory alignment.
• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMitsubishi Heavy Industries is a core partner of Charter of Trust from Japan, contributing expertise in industrial cybersecurity, supply chain security, and operational technology.
• Palo Alto NetworkscoreTechnology or IntegrationPalo Alto Networks is a core partner of Charter of Trust, providing cybersecurity expertise, threat intelligence capabilities, and contributions to the alliance's cybersecurity frameworks.
• TÜV SÜDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTÜV SÜD is a core partner of Charter of Trust. Sudhir Ethiraj, Global Head of Cybersecurity Office at TÜV SÜD, serves as Taskforce Lead for the Security by Default Working Group and moderator for multiple Charter of Trust events.
• Infineon TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInfineon Technologies is a core partner of Charter of Trust, contributing semiconductor and hardware security expertise. Detlef Houdeau from Infineon has participated in panels on regulatory landscape and supply chain security.
• ElasticcoreTechnology or IntegrationElastic is a core partner of Charter of Trust, providing expertise in cybersecurity analytics, search, and observability. Suzanne Button, Field CTO EMEA at Elastic, has participated in CyberTrust Talk panels.
• DanfosscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanfoss is a core partner of Charter of Trust and hosted Collaboration Week 2025 in Denmark, providing an inspiring venue for the alliance's three-day strategic summit.
• Munich Security Conference (MSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSC is a founding partner of Charter of Trust. The alliance was launched at the Munich Security Conference in February 2018. Benedikt Franke, Vice-Chairman & CEO of MSC, provides keynote addresses at Charter of Trust Board meetings.
• IBMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBM is a founding partner of Charter of Trust, contributing expertise in cybersecurity, AI, cloud security, threat intelligence (X-Force), identity and access management, and post-quantum cryptography. IBM contributes to multiple working groups.
• Graz University of TechnologyassociatedOthersGraz University of Technology is an Associated Partner of Charter of Trust, contributing academic research and expertise in cybersecurity from the educational and research community.
• Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI)associatedOthersThe Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering GmbH is an Associated Partner contributing academic research and education expertise to the Charter of Trust's cybersecurity mission.
• CEBRI (Brazilian Center for International Relations)associatedOthersCEBRI, the Brazilian Center for International Relations, is an Associated Partner of Charter of Trust, contributing perspectives on international cooperation, data governance, and public-private partnership to protect critical infrastructures in Latin America.
• Shared AssessmentsassociatedOthersShared Assessments is an Associated Partner of Charter of Trust. As a newest Associated Partner, Shared Assessments organized the inaugural UK/EU Summit on 'Risk to Resilience' in London, bringing together professionals from different industries and regions.
• Cloud Security AllianceassociatedOthersCloud Security Alliance (CSA) is an Associated Partner of Charter of Trust. Linda Strick, Director at CSA EMEA, has participated in Charter of Trust webinars and contributed expertise on cloud security and Secure Development Lifecycle.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ENISA (European Union Agency for Cybersecurity): EU agency that supports member states and EU institutions on cybersecurity, producing widely adopted guidance and frameworks. Broader and government-led, but overlaps with Charter of Trust in producing baseline requirements, supply-chain guidance, and AI/PQC frameworks at EU level.
• (ISC)²: International non-profit member organisation for cybersecurity professionals, known for the CISSP certification and Common Body of Knowledge. Comparable in operating a large global cybersecurity community with education and certification deliverables, but much larger and more mature.
• ISACA: Global professional association for IT governance, risk, and cybersecurity practitioners offering frameworks (COBIT), certifications (CISA, CISM), and research. Comparable as an established multi-stakeholder cybersecurity community, though more certification- and governance-focused than Charter of Trust's standards mission.
• NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) — Cybersecurity Framework programme: U.S. government programme that produces the widely adopted Cybersecurity Framework and PQC standardisation (FIPS 203/204/205). Comparable as a global reference for cybersecurity baseline requirements, but government-led rather than industry-led.

Direct peers

• Global Cyber Alliance: Non-profit international organisation building cross-sector cybersecurity tools and initiatives to eliminate cyber risk. Directly comparable as a global, non-profit, multi-stakeholder alliance producing practical cybersecurity deliverables rather than products.
• FS-ISAC (Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center): Member-driven, cross-border threat intelligence sharing community for the financial sector. Comparable to Charter of Trust's Human-to-Human Threat Intelligence Network in mission (collective defence through information sharing) though narrower in industry scope.
• Internet Security Alliance: Non-profit trade association that brings together businesses, governments, and academia to integrate cyber risk into business strategy. Comparable multi-stakeholder mission and policy-advocacy focus to Charter of Trust, particularly around regulatory frameworks.
• Cloud Security Alliance: Cloud-focused non-profit alliance producing cybersecurity best practices, frameworks, and certifications. Directly comparable to Charter of Trust as a vendor-neutral cybersecurity standards body; in fact, CSA is itself an Associated Partner of Charter of Trust, evidencing peer-level collaboration.
• FIRST (Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams): Global confederation of incident response and security teams that develops best-practice standards (CVSS, PSIRT, TLP). Directly comparable as a non-profit global community producing cybersecurity frameworks and coordinating practitioner information sharing.
• OASIS Open — cybersecurity technical committees: International non-profit standards body that develops open cybersecurity standards (e.g., STIX, TAXII, SAMM). Comparable to Charter of Trust in producing vendor-neutral, member-developed frameworks that become de facto industry standards.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charter-of-trust

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 Charter of Trust