Latest news with #digitalIdentity
Finextra
02-07-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Mastercard Start Path takes on cybersecurity startups
Mastercard Start Path today announced a new Security Solutions program dedicated to supporting high potential startups that are pioneering technologies in cybersecurity, fraud mitigation, digital identity and payment resiliency. 0 OneID, Scamnetic, Spec, VanishID and Shield-IoT are the first startups to participate following a competitive global application and vetting process. This new program is the latest extension of Start Path, Mastercard's award-winning global startup engagement arm, which offers support for startups to scale innovative solutions in specialized areas such as blockchain, digital assets, emerging fintech, open finance, small business, acceptance and more. Since its inception in 2014, Mastercard Start Path has welcomed over 475 startups across more than 60 countries - many of which are entering public markets, reaching unicorn status and exploring extended commercial engagements with Mastercard and its customers. Start Path's Security Solutions program supports Mastercard's broader commitment to securing the digital economy. Since 2018, Mastercard has invested more than $10.7 billion in cybersecurity innovation, with a portfolio including value-added services, strategic acquisitions and partnerships, and fraud prevention technologies. As new threats emerge and the cost of cybercrime continues to climb — anticipated to reach $15.6 trillion by 2029 — Mastercard expanded Start Path to help flexible, adaptable businesses accelerate how they identify and respond to future security challenges. Meet the startups: From AI-powered threat detection to IoT security to identity solutions, these startups are tackling some of the most urgent challenges facing consumers, businesses and governments today. OneID is a digital identity assurance technology that uses bank-based verification methods to provide a document-free way to verify customer credentials securely. "We wanted to create a simpler, more secure, and inclusive way - that was also entirely digital - to verify customers' identities so users could access the services they needed more quickly,' says Rob Kotlarz, founding director. Scamnetic provides patented, AI scam-detection technology that detects and prevents a wide range of scams — from phishing to deepfakes — helping protect consumers in real time. 'As a banker turned researcher, I was in awe of how rapidly financial technology was evolving but also increasingly concerned because it felt like criminals were often among the first adopters,' says Al Pascual, CEO. 'We've seen the consequences of that, which is why I firmly believe that the future of fintech is one where security is no longer an afterthought.' Spec invisibly monitors the entire customer journey during a digital transaction to help brands detect and stop fraud, bots and abuse in real time and on a global scale. 'I started Spec after watching even the most advanced merchants lose ground to smarter fraud and fragmented defenses," says Nate Kharrl, co-founder and CEO. "The future of digital commerce demands real-time visibility — so we can tell the good users from the bad ones before they can access the money.' VanishID helps enterprise security teams protect their employees by finding and removing exposed personal data publicly accessible online. "In a world where every click, transaction and connection leaves a trail, privacy isn't passive,' says Matt Polak, founder and CEO. 'It must be engineered, defended, and maintained ruthlessly. VanishID helps security teams protect against cyber and physical threats fueled by exposed personal information online. " Shield-IoT secures mass-scale IoT networks, providing merchants with visibility, threat management and compliance for their cellular-based payment devices. "With Shield-IoT, merchants can secure their cellular IoT payment devices, such as point-of-sale terminals, EV charging stations and connected cars, without any network changes or integration efforts,' says Udi Solomon, founder and CEO. 'Our AI-powered SaaS platform enterprises and SMBs with unprecedented insights and control, automatically safeguarding personal data, protecting critical services and meeting regulatory compliance requirements, allowing businesses to confidently embrace the evolving landscape of contactless payments as a result.' Securing the digital economy at scale Over the years, Mastercard has doubled down on its commitment to cybersecurity through acquisitions, cutting-edge tools, and strategic partnerships. Recently, Mastercard acquired Recorded Future, the world's largest threat intelligence company. Mastercard is dedicated to creating a higher standard of trust in the payment ecosystem, democratizing cybersecurity to create new opportunities for businesses. Its suite of cybersecurity services focuses on assessing cyber risk exposure, providing AI and other technology-driven innovations to protect the digital environment and making continuous advancements to organize trust for people and businesses around the world. Mastercard also broadens protection across networks and geographies through collaborations with entities such as the Global Anti-Scam Alliance. 'Security is the cornerstone of trust,' says Johan Gerber, executive vice president and head of Security Solutions at Mastercard. "It is essential to fueling digital commerce in an increasingly connected world, where new threats emerge all the time. By partnering with startup innovators who are already working to protect our ecosystem, we are accelerating co-creation and knowledge-sharing — shaping a safer, smarter digital future.'
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Proof of Personhood: Inside the companies reinventing digital identity for Web3
Proof of Personhood: Inside the companies reinventing digital identity for Web3 originally appeared on TheStreet. You don't notice identity until it fails. Until the login doesn't work, the KYC flags, or the system freezes because some server in some jurisdiction doesn't recognize you. That's the problem decentralized identity is trying to erase. The crux of decentralized identity (DID) is about who controls verification. Today, identity flows through banks, governments, and platforms that monetize your data in exchange for access. DID flips it. Credentials become portable. Verification happens cryptographically. You own your proofs. You disclose only what you choose to disclose. Nothing more. The implications run deep. Compliance, finance, healthcare, AI, cross-border commerce — none of it scales without trust. And right now, trust is centralized, fractured, and increasingly fragile. Fraud is accelerating. Synthetic identities are cheap to manufacture. Verification costs are rising. Regulators know it. Enterprises know it. DID offers a quiet exit ramp. Backend scaffolding for identity is coming together, locking into place. Composable frameworks slotting into banks, SaaS platforms, DAOs, and government stacks. Silent infrastructure. Open rails. No token games. Just trust, rebuilt from first principles. And as tokenized capital markets accelerate, as AI agents start executing on behalf of humans, as decentralized systems mature, identity becomes paramount. Let's take a look at 3 companies currently navigating the sector. Proving you're human shouldn't mean handing over your life. Civic builds verification without the data drain. 'As digital identity experts, our goal is to give people more control over their identities,' says CEO Chris Hart. 'We provide businesses with tools that give people more consent over what information they're sharing.' With over one million Civic Pass credentials issued, users verify themselves by completing a CAPTCHA or video selfie — no passports, no government IDs. 'We work hard to ensure portability and reusability of credentials across chains and applications,' Hart says. The problem Civic is solving is only getting worse: AI-generated fraud. Bots mimicking humans, infiltrating systems. 'This is important because bad actors sometimes use AI pretending to be human in order to commit fraud,' adds Hart. Instead of over-collecting data, Civic strips verification down to its core. 'Civic Pass allows businesses to check for humanity instead of requiring an ID document, which allows a transaction to proceed with a minimal amount of information exchanged,' the CEO highlights. Less data exposure. Same outcome. The way identity should work in Web3. SPACE ID has locked in over 6.7 million domains across BNB, Arbitrum, Ethereum, and Story Protocol — but it's not just slinging vanity handles. Every domain is wired for function. 'Everyone's talking about identity. We're building the infrastructure,' says SPACE ID CEO Alice Shikova. Payment ID makes wallet spaghetti obsolete. Payment ID makes sending crypto as easy as @yourname. You want yourname@bybit? That's your address. Cross-wallet, cross-exchange, no more copy-paste roulette. And with MetaMask Snap integration, domain-based payments slot directly into Web3's most widely used wallet. 'We're not just handing out vanity tags. We're building the most usable, interoperable, agent-ready ID system in Web3,' Shikova says. While others chase scale, SPACE ID's chasing surface area: 'SPACE ID isn't just scaling up—we're scaling out. Our strategy is horizontal expansion: more chains, more use cases, more utility. Why? Because real adoption comes from utility, not hype,' Shikova continues. Already embedded across 200+ dApps, the next phase fuses AI into the stack: 'We're fusing DeFAI by giving AI agents and AI services the infrastructure they currently lack—names, payment rails, and seamless execution. That's what we're actively exploring and building,' Shikova underlines. WALT ID has been in the game early — open-source, all-in-one infrastructure powering governments, enterprises, and over 20,000 developers worldwide. ' has been among the first companies in the decentralized identity space and built a powerful, all-in-one open-source infrastructure used by more than 20,000 developers as well as governments and businesses around the globe,' says CEO Dominik Beron. While others obsess over compliance checklists, WALT ID took a developer-first approach. 'While everyone is looking to build holistic, standard and regulatory compliant solutions (we do all that too), one of the things that makes us unique is our open-source strategy,' Beron adds. It's infrastructure, not an app. A platform for builders: 'We are building a development platform — infrastructure for dev and product teams — to power large organizations and new SaaS platforms and services,' Beron underscores. SDKs. APIs. Full composability. WALT ID's stack lets governments, enterprises, and startups deploy credential-based identity without vendor lock-in. Quietly becoming the scaffolding everyone else builds on. Proof of Personhood: Inside the companies reinventing digital identity for Web3 first appeared on TheStreet on Jun 26, 2025 This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared. Sign in to access your portfolio
Arab News
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
‘Fever Dream' starring Fatima Al-Banawi lands on Netflix
DUBAI: Saudi filmmaker Faris Godus' latest feature 'Fever Dream' is now available to stream on Netflix, bringing together a star-studded local cast including Fatima Al-Banawi, Sohayb Godus, Najm, Hakeem Jomah and Nour Al-Khadra. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ Supported by the Red Sea Fund, the film, which explores themes of media manipulation, digital identity, and the cost of fame in the age of online influence, had its world premiere at the 2023 Red Sea International Film Festival. It tells the story of Samado, a retired football star who, burdened by media scrutiny and public notoriety, finds a chance to reclaim control. Partnering with his daughter, he sets out to take revenge on a powerful social media portal. But as they plunge deeper into their pursuit of fame and digital redemption, the line between ambition and obsession begins to blur. A post shared by Red Sea Film Foundation (@redseafilm) Najm plays Ahlam, the daughter of Samado, while Jomah appears as Hakeem, a PR agent hired to help restore Samado's public image. Al-Banawi takes on the role of Alaa, another key PR agent working alongside Hakeem. Godus is famous for his work 'Shams Alma'arif' (The Book of Sun), which also streamed on Netflix, and 'Predicament in Sight.' He previously said in an interview with Arab News: '(In Saudi Arabia), we have a rich soil to build content on and so many stories to tell. I do believe that nowadays the support coming from our country is just awesome. People have so many chances to create films now.' Meanwhile, Al-Banawi is recognized for her roles in 'Barakah Meets Barakah' and the Saudi thriller 'Route 10.' She made her directorial debut with 'Basma,' in which she also plays the title role — a young Saudi woman who returns to her hometown of Jeddah after studying in the US. Back home, she is confronted with her father's mental illness, strained family ties, and the challenge of reconnecting with a past life that no longer feels familiar. 'I really went into cinema — in 2015 with my first feature as an actress — with one intention: to bridge the gap between the arts and social impact and psychology,' she previously told Arab News. 'And I was able to come closer to this union when I positioned myself as a writer-director, more so than as an actor.'
Forbes
05-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Twelve Golden Rules From The Kitchen: 'Going The Extra Mile'
Jacob Orrin is COO and cofounder of Merit, transforming government programs with digital identity solutions and driving rapid growth. getty Working in the catering business taught me another key lesson: Customers appreciate when you go the extra mile—but only when it's done thoughtfully and with intention. Overextending can backfire. For example, agreeing to create a custom gourmet dish for one guest at the last minute might seem generous, but it can derail kitchen flow, add unexpected costs and compromise service for everyone else. Every business, in any sector, must keep a close eye on margins. Just look at dining out today: It feels expensive, but the profit margins are slimmer than most people realize. Labor, rent and utilities eat away at revenue quickly. Often, the difference between breaking even and turning a profit comes down to balancing the value of extra effort with what it actually returns. When I traded in my apron for a business suit, I found that this 'extra mile' philosophy applies just as much to client relationships and partnerships as it does in the kitchen. Going above and beyond in business can set you apart, but just like in a restaurant, it's not about indiscriminately over-delivering. Instead, the key lies in finding intentional, impactful ways to add value that resonates with customers and partners. Here's how taking that extra step without overextending can create lasting impressions in business. In catering, every staff member hustles, and efficiency is the name of the game. I used to encourage our waitstaff to use quiet moments wisely. If there was downtime, they'd fold napkins into fun shapes or prepare small personal touches for dinners, like a handwritten note wishing someone a happy birthday. These small gestures didn't cost much but added memorable touches that showed we cared. In business, a similar principle applies. For example, one of our clients won an award for technological innovation in their category based on the work we did together. Instead of mailing them a trophy, we flew out to deliver it personally and took them to dinner to celebrate their achievement. While gestures like these require additional time and expense, they show that you genuinely care about your clients, which can lead to future opportunities. Often, it's not the scale of the gesture but the sincerity behind it that builds trust and a real relationship. I once sent a thoughtful birthday gift to a customer—a gesture that, in hindsight, stretched our budget more than it should have. I never really knew if it made the impact I hoped for. That experience taught me an important lesson: Meaningful relationships in business are not built on grand, one-off gestures but rather on consistent, genuine actions over time. Take the example of 'autograph books.' Since the early days of the Disney parks, children have brought books to collect signatures from beloved characters like Mickey or Cinderella. One lifelong fan recalls a time when he was eleven and lost his autograph book. When calls to the park didn't result in finding the book, he and his family gave up hope—only to receive a surprise in the mail weeks after they went home. The park had replaced his autograph book with a new one that contained all of the park character's signatures, many also bearing personalized messages to the young fan. This impacted the guest deeply all the way into his adult life. There were no forms, no hassle, no attempts to gain more money from the family after their vacation was ended—just joy, because creating unforgettable moments is what truly matters. Meaningful customer interactions can build loyalty, but there's also power in collaborating with the right partners. Going the extra mile with strategic partners can create added value for both parties. For instance, we made a point to hold regular data-sharing sessions with one of our key clients during a virtual monthly meeting. This was not something they were expecting from us. Still, by proactively sharing trends and insights, we helped them identify growth areas and inefficiencies, strengthening our relationship and generating additional business for us. Working with partners in this visible and intentional way can create mutual value, encourage long-term collaboration and create loyalty. In business, just as in a restaurant, the right partnership moves can provide rewards for everyone at the table. The magic of going the extra mile is not doing more than anyone else—it's choosing the right moments and gestures to enhance relationships without exacerbating resources. Whether you're running a kitchen or leading a go-to-market team, being intentional about these efforts can help keep your business sustainable and memorable. Going the extra mile should be thoughtful and deliberate, creating a lasting impact without breaking the bank. Ultimately, business—like any well-run restaurant—is about understanding what truly resonates. Doing this right, going the 'Extra Mile,' can keep people coming back time and time again. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
