Poland’s national payment processor unites with Cryptomathic

Strengthening financial security within the country, Polish citizens can now sign documents digitally using mSzafir, a remote qualified e-signature service with the highest levels of security under European law. 

The implementation comes following a new partnership between KIR, Poland’s national payments processor, and global e-signature specialist, Cryptomathic.

Elzbieta Włodarczyk, Director Digital Signature Business Line at KIR commented: “Given the current conditions, we need to be taking every opportunity to create a secure, cashless and paperless world, one that appropriately supports our citizens during prolonged periods of social distancing. KIR’s partnership with Cryptomathic represents a significant milestone in the digitalisation of Poland’s economy and the modernization of its national payment infrastructure. 

“We are one of the first to provide eIDAS-certified services of this kind, which puts Polish citizens right at the cutting edge of Europe’s digitized economy.”

The timely availability of remote qualified e-signature services (QES) comes as the country enters lockdown and imposes stringent social distancing measures which may otherwise have prevented legal documents from being signed.

The KIR initiative, developed in partnership with Cryptomathic, enables both individuals and companies in Poland to provide non-repudiable, legally binding digital consent in both financial and public services, elevating remote e-signatures to the same legal standing as when paper-based documents are signed manually.

The new trust service utilises digital certificates issued by KIR’s experienced certification center. For over twenty years, the company’s certificates have been used to authenticate transactions within the interbank clearing system and to ensure the security of messages exchanged between banks.  

Guillaume Forget, Managing Director, Cryptomathic GmbH added: “The Polish economy can now conduct the most secure and legally sensitive procedures both digitally and remotely. This capability will have a big impact on Poland’s social and economic agility. Its businesses and individuals can move faster and more efficiently than ever before, without requiring people to meet face to face to, say, witness the signing of contracts. 

“The shift to remote digital signatures also accelerates Poland towards a truly paperless environment, with all the environmental benefits that delivers. Cryptomathic is delighted to be playing its part in such a valuable initiative.”