Electronic signature refers to the data contained in the data message in electronic form and accompanied by data used to identify the identity of the signer and show that the signer approves its content. Generally speaking, electronic signature is the electronic signature of electronic documents through cryptographic technology, rather than the digital visualization of written signatures.
In recent years, China's e-commerce and e-government have developed rapidly, resulting in increasingly prominent network authentication and security issues. Due to the lack of a unified network security authentication system, it is extremely difficult for legal workers to investigate and collect evidence and distinguish right from wrong when solving disputes arising from online transactions.
The emergence of electronic signature is to solve the legal obstacles in the development of e-commerce and e-government, that is, the signature and seal of electronic documents. In August, 2004, People's Republic of China (PRC) Electronic Signature Law was passed and came into effect on April 1 day of the following year. This law gives electronic signatures the same legal effect as text signatures for the first time, clarifies the market access system of electronic authentication services, and provides legal protection for the security of online information transmission and electronic transactions.
With the gradual prosperity of e-commerce and e-government, the electronic signature industry has also ushered in a new stage of development, and gradually penetrated into other fields. For example, in 20 16, the Interim Measures for the Management of Business Activities of Information Intermediaries in Peer-to-Peer Lending jointly issued by China Banking Regulatory Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security and Internet Office stipulated that the basic information and transaction information of both borrowers and lenders should use electronic signatures and certificates. Under the new regulatory requirements, electronic signatures are widely used in the field of Internet finance.
According to Sootoo's survey data, the main application scenarios of electronic signature include government affairs, finance, logistics, medical care and manufacturing, among which government affairs account for the largest proportion, about 79.7%; Followed by logistics, about 53.7%.
In addition to rich application scenarios, the boundaries of electronic signature industry services have been further broadened, and related enterprises are providing value-added legal services related to electronic signatures, including preservation notarization services, judicial expertise, online arbitration and so on.
The expansion of application field and service scope has promoted the sustained and rapid growth of electronic signature industry in China. Sootoo data shows that in 20 14, the electronic signature market in China was about 200 million yuan, and by 20 18, the electronic signature market had reached 870 million yuan, an increase of more than 400% compared with 20 14.
Head enterprises will occupy more shares.
On 20 12, the third-party electronic signature service platforms e-sign Bao and e-sign Tong were officially launched; 20 13 launched the honest signing and public signing; In 20 14, the contract was signed with China Cloud and Shanghai. During this period, the electronic signature service platform is in the early stage of industry development, with a small number of platforms and relatively mild competition.
After 20 15, the electronic signature industry entered the initial stage of the market, and startups focusing on electronic signature applications were established one after another, including Anxin Sign, Express Sign, 1 Sign, Everyone Sign, Text Sign, Flash Sign, Cloud Contract, Lead Sign, Sign Bar, etc. At this point, the market competition is becoming increasingly fierce.
However, after only two years, the industry began to usher in integration, and its landmark event was the signing of the 20 17 1 1 comprehensive acquisition and quick signing business. 20 18, the competition in the electronic signature industry intensified again, and capital began to focus on the head enterprises. Only four companies have obtained financing, namely E-sign, Shanghai-sign, Dafa and lottery.
Among them, in March last year, it signed a series B financing contract with Morningstar Capital, Jingwei China, DCM China and Shunwei Capital of 65.438 billion yuan, and in August, it was led by Tiger Global Fund, with Jingwei China, DCM and Morningstar Capital investing 358 million yuan. In June, FADA obtained a series B+ financing of nearly 1 billion yuan from Yuan Jing Capital, Remittance Venture Capital Fund, Meng He Venture Capital and Bojiang Capital, and a series C financing of 398 million yuan from Tiger Global Fund, Tencent, Sheng Rui Investment and Yuan Jing Capital in March this year.
At present, enterprises' cognition of electronic signature is still at a low level, but brand influence and technical strength are still important reference factors for enterprises to choose third-party electronic signatures. Because in the future, the head enterprises in the electronic signature industry are expected to occupy more shares with their own brand influence and technical strength, and the market concentration will be further enhanced.
-For more data, please refer to the Market Demand Forecast and Investment Strategic Planning Analysis Report of China Electronic Certification Service Industry issued by Forward-looking Industry Research Institute.