Copyright thebridge
PocketSign, which develops applications utilizing public personal authentication in the administrative domain, announced on the 31st that it has raised ¥820 million in a Series B extension round through a combination of loans and investments. The loans amounting to ¥700 million were secured from three banks: Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Resona Bank, and Shizuoka Bank. The investments totaling ¥120 million were received from various entities including JAFCO Group, Nissay Capital, Cygames Capital, Hope, YMFG Capital, and Resona Capital, with Sekisui House Investment Business Limited Partnership among the investors, bringing the total funds raised to ¥1.4 billion. The company offers a super app for municipalities called “PocketSign,” which serves as the core of their services, including an identity verification service using My Number cards, a development platform “PocketSign MynaConnect” that mediates connections with the Mynaportal API, and a mini-app development environment “PocketSign Platform.” This enables the implementation of an environment where multiple administrative procedures, such as obtaining copies of resident records and distributing disaster information, can be conducted in a one-stop manner, with adoption progressing nationwide among municipalities. Technologically, the integration of public personal authentication (JPKI) into smartphone apps, allowing users to prove their identity online, is a key feature. Developers can quickly build JPKI-compliant services through a proprietary SDK, and the company operates a gateway that securely connects Mynaportal with external services, meeting the high security requirements demanded by both public and private sectors. via PR TIMES
