Corporate Signing Authority

The client is a major Portuguese bank implementing a digital onboarding process for SMEs. The validation of signature powers for the bank’s client enterprises is currently handled manually in the back office. In Portugal, all enterprises are required to possess a certificate (Certidão Permanente de Registo Comercial – CPRC) that identifies their signing authority. This certificate is accessible through a document ID on a government portal.

 

Challenge:

The bank is developing a new SME Portal with a digital onboarding process. Following user identification and signature validation, the bank faces the additional challenge of confirming that the user has the authority to sign on behalf of the enterprise/SME. The objective is to automatically retrieve signature authority information from the CPRC, validating the contract’s signature in the system.

 

BizAPIs Data Suite Platform – CPRC Service:

Through the CPRC BizAPIs data service, the client can:

  1. Obtain detailed and structured CPRC information directly from the government’s site.
  2. Confirm that the identified, authenticated, and validated user is the authorized signatory for the company.
  3. Automatically complete the digital onboarding process, eliminating the need for manual back-office validations. This ensures immediate feedback to the user and grants access to digital platforms for their company.

 

Results:

The implementation of this solution not only enhances the user experience in the digital onboarding workflow with quicker response times but also leads to an increase in corporate clients, particularly SMEs.