ESAC portfolio company sproof, the Salzburg-based RegTech, has raised its collaboration with A-Trust to a new strategic level. Together, sproof and A-Trust are anchoring ID Austria even more deeply into digital signature workflows. As a result, businesses across the country gain a legally secure, fully European alternative to US providers. The move marks a clear commitment to digital sovereignty.
Why Digital Trust Now Depends on Sovereignty
In the digital economy, trust is the foundation of every transaction. However, US providers face growing regulatory pressure because of the Cloud Act and opaque data transfers to third countries. Therefore, European companies increasingly need partners they can rely on. sproof and A-Trust answer that need with a 100 percent European value chain. This partnership also builds on sproof’s earlier work to bring the EUDI Wallet vision to life. In addition, it makes the qualified electronic signature (QES) easier to use than ever, for businesses and end customers alike.
How sproof and A-Trust Remove Complexity
As an official integration partner and established ID Austria service provider, sproof embeds state-verified identities directly into its signature processes. The company specializes in orchestrating even highly complex signing and approval workflows. Moreover, it offers both a developer-friendly API and an intuitive user interface. The cooperation aims to accelerate signing in highly regulated sectors such as banking, energy, and public administration.
A-Trust, in turn, contributes regulatory excellence as a qualified trust service provider. Its signatures are state-recognized, forgery-proof, and legally equal to a handwritten signature. Because the identity check runs in real time inside the sproof platform, media breaks disappear completely.
“We see ourselves as an enabler for companies that want to take the next step in digital maturity,” explains Dr. Clemens Brunner, CEO and Co-Founder of sproof. “By making state-verified identities this simple to use, the digital signature becomes the standard. Together, we prove that technological excellence and European values are a competitive advantage, not a contradiction.”
Legal Certainty Without Compromise
The partnership also strengthens cross-border business. Through the sproof eID Hub, the platform connects the most important qualified trust service providers across Europe. For example, customers in Austria can sign with their existing ID Austria in seconds. As a result, sproof reinforces its position across the DACH region and internationally, while A-Trust acts as the reliable backbone in the background.
This regulatory strength comes with a clear hosting promise. Cloud hosting anchored entirely in Europe is no longer optional for data-sensitive B2B companies. Instead, it has become essential for countering third-country laws such as the US Cloud Act.
“Austria’s digitalization must not rest on foreign server structures,” says Dr. Fabian Knirsch, CEO and Co-Founder of sproof. “We are not just integrating a technology. We are building an infrastructure for genuine digital trust, with full eIDAS compliance.”
Proud to Accompany the Journey
At ESAC, we are proud to accompany sproof on this journey. The team continues to prove that European RegTech can set the standard for secure, sovereign digital infrastructure. We warmly congratulate sproof and A-Trust on this partnership and look forward to the road ahead. If you would like to back Europe’s next generation of tech leaders, we invite you to become a member of the European Super Angels Club.
