The path to a national eID is proving to be thorny. But that is not stopping Orell Fuessli from jumping into the fray anyway.
Procivis, an Orell Fuessli subsidiary, is launching a new software solution that offers decentralized E-ID services. Internationally, the parent is best known for printing Swiss banknotes at the behest of the country's central bank.
According to an announcement distributed by the company on Tuesday, the new solution will allow for mobile driver licenses and identification documents including certificates, diplomas, confirmations, and similar. All will meet the highest data protection requirements related to storage and privacy.
E-ID Repealed
The market for digital IDs has proven to be difficult in Switzerland. In the Spring of 2021, Swiss voters rejected a draft law related to new electronically-based identification services. The law would have regulated processes and conduct between the government and private providers yet the exact delineation and definition of the roles between the two prompted significant debate.
Still, Orell Fuessli believes the new system is a pioneering and comprehensive technology that fulfills all international requirements as well as known ones for the future Swiss E-ID.
Founded by Ex-UBS Banker
Procivis is also one of the first blockchain companies in Switzerland that focuses on e-ID and e-government services. Such services are already provided in the city of Zug and the Canton of Schaffhausen. The company was co-founded by Daniel Gasteiger, the former chief of staff of UBS ex-UBS chairman Axel Weber. In 2021, Gasteiger sold the startup to Orell Fuesli.
