DHS awards SVIP contract to Procivis for decentralized identity software

Procivis AG, a subsidiary of Swiss institution Orell Füssli, has been awarded a tender through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP), to work on digital open source wallets and verifier components for decentralized digital identities.

According to SVIP’s website, the innovation program offers U.S. and international startups up to $2 million in “non-dilutive funding” to develop prototype projects over a 24-month period. A press release from Procivis says it will use the opportunity to continue development on its Procivis One decentralized digital ID software, which meets all technical specifications for the Swiss E-ID ecosystem, the European eIDAS 2.0 regulation and the DHS.

The SVIP program, which DHS created in response to the New York terrorist attacks of 2001,  encourages collaboration with other selected companies on privacy, security and the interoperability of digital credentials and protocols required by DHS. Procivis One has a modular design and flexible architecture for fast, easy integration of new requirements and existing digital ID systems and mobile apps. Installation is user-friendly and can be done by the customer.

Procivis was founded as a blockchain startup in 2017 by investment banker-turned-tech activist Daniel Gasteiger. In 2021 it became an identity-focused subsidiary of Orell Füssli’s 500-year-old book, document and banknote printing business, which now also includes a heavy security component. The Procivis One product launched in 2023.

Digital credentials are among Orell Füssli’s three main strategic priorities until 2028, alongside security and education.

Article Topics

decentralized ID  |  DHS  |  digital identity  |  digital wallets  |  government purchasing  |  Orell Fussli  |  Procivis