- VERA and cheqd partner to fight B2B fraud using verified digital identity and secure messaging
- Beta launch begins in South Africa with full MVP rollout planned by end of August 2025
- The collaboration aims to enable cross-border trust and support future AI verification tools
Cape Town, South Africa, June 10, 2025: A new partnership between secure communications platform VERA and decentralised identity provider cheqd is set to introduce verified digital identity and encrypted business messaging across South Africa and beyond. The integration will enable companies to exchange sensitive documents and verify counterparties in real time, addressing growing concerns over impersonation and fraud in B2B transactions.
VERA’s platform, built for secure business-to-business communication, will now incorporate cheqd’s decentralised identity infrastructure. This includes support for Verifiable Credentials (VCs), AnonCreds, and DID-linked resources. Additionally, the integration will allow companies to confirm the authenticity of individuals and organizations they engage with, far reducing the risk of invoice manipulation and impersonation attacks.
The solution is already in beta testing for South African firms as of June 1. Moreover, a full MVP rollout is expected by the end of August 2025. The platform targets industries where document verification and timing are essential, including procurement, construction, and finance.
Reducing Risk in Cross-Border Transactions
According to cheqd co-founder and CEO Fraser Edwards, the collaboration addresses a common vulnerability in global business. Fraser Edwards stated that they regularly receive fraudulent invoices by email and emphasized that VERA’s solution verifies every company and individual on the platform.
Through this integration, users can onboard new suppliers, exchange contracts, and share sudden payment information securely. The platform’s use of decentralised identity ensures that verification is handled in a privacy-respecting and scalable manner.
Expansion Beyond South Africa
The technology rollout is focused on Africa initially, but the partnership is also set to support cross-border interoperability with the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union. This prepares the platform for broader adoption in global business environments that require verified identity as part of their compliance and risk mitigation processes.
Max Coleman, co-founder of VERA, noted that cheqd’s infrastructure enables verifiable and secure messaging, allowing companies to protect sensitive conversations while confirming the identity of participants.
Beyond the current focus on messaging and document verification, the partnership opens possibilities for further collaboration. These may include decentralised payment tools and AI systems that operate using verifiable credentials.
