Proof, Enigma link KYB to authorized people, AI agents with biometrics

Proof and Enigma have launched Business Certificates, a cryptographic credential that connects a verified business identity to the people and digital systems authorized to act on its behalf.

Enigma provides the know-your-business (KYB) data used to verify a company’s identity, confirm whether it remains active and in good standing, and identify its owners and other key people. The company says it continuously refreshes these records using government filings, state registries, federal records, sanctions watchlists, and beneficial ownership information.

Proof contributes its identity and authorization infrastructure. It verifies the individuals representing the business and issues the Business Certificate to link the business, its representatives, and the authorized action. The same model is also extended to AI agents acting under authority given by the company.

The certificate is tied to a specific action rather than being stored only as an onboarding record. It can be attached to a wire instruction, a request to change a vendor’s bank account, a contract, an invoice, a press release, an executive statement, or an instruction submitted by an AI agent.

The receiving organization could then check that the action originated from the business was approved by a verified representative.

Proof verifies the individual, Enigma connects the person to the business

In the process of verifying the individual representing the business, Proof uses its identity verification and authorization infrastructure. Proof supports verification aligned with NIST Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2), which establishes that an applicant is associated with a real-world identity.

The business representative is asked to submit personal information and government-issued identity evidence, such as a driver’s license or passport. Proof analyzes the credential and asks the person to capture a live facial image.

Its biometric comparison then checks whether the person taking the selfie matches the photograph on the submitted identity document. Proof says its IAL2 process uses credential analysis and a real-time biometric selfie check. In case people who cannot be verified automatically are routed to a trusted human referee for live verification.

This process establishes who the individual is. But it does not, by itself, establish that the person represents a particular business or has permission to perform the requested action.

After Proof establishes the representative’s individual identity, that person must be connected to the relevant business record.

Enigma’s graph models people in terms of roles that link them to legal entities. These can include governance roles, such as owner, founder, or board member, and functional positions, such as chief executive, vice president, or manager.

Enigma says governance roles are typically sourced from business registrations, while functional roles can come from employee contact data and other records. The system could therefore help confirm that the person Proof verified appears in business records.

A person’s association with a business does not necessarily establish their authority to perform every action on its behalf. For example, a communications executive may be permitted to approve a press release but not change a supplier’s bank account.

The Business Certificate provides an additional layer of authorization by indicating that the identified representative is permitted to perform the specific action being presented.

Extending business authorization to AI agents

The same identity and authorization questions become more complicated when the entity performing the action is an AI agent operating on a company’s behalf.

An AI agent may be able to negotiate with suppliers, submit purchase orders, change account information, or initiate payments without a person controlling each step. The receiving business still needs to know who stands behind the agent and whether the requested action falls within the authority granted to it.

Proof’s x401 protocol enables websites and APIs to request and verify identity and authorization credentials during an agentic interaction.

“Business Certificates give every institution a way to confirm not just that a business passed a check months ago, but that the right people are authorized to act for it right now, whether that’s a person initiating a wire or an AI agent executing a contract,” says Pat Kinsel, chief executive officer at Proof.

The Proof and Enigma partnership brings together three trust layers that have often been handled separately: proving the identity of the person acting, verifying the business they claim to represent, and demonstrating that the person or digital system has permission to perform the requested action.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital company ID  |  digital ID  |  financial services  |  KYB  |  Proof