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Case Studies

Digital Identities in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Digital Identities in the Corporate Banking Process

Digital Identities in the Pharmaceutical Industry
A leading Pharmaceutical company found itself faced with a major challenge. The company was drowning in paper generated by clinical research trials needed for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of new medicines. These trials are typically long and complex, involving large numbers of physicians, universities and independent researchers. The FDA historically has required the results of these research trials be submitted with each document signed by the relevant research team resulting in massive amounts of paper for each drug trial.

In an effort to help reduce the paper burden, the FDA began allowing electronic submissions provided the documents were signed using legally binding digital signatures. The FDA defined detailed standards that must be followed before any researcher could be issued a digital identity card to sign documents to ensure these are what are known as high assurance identities. Some of the standards were technical, but many focused on the process by which the digital identities are issued. How do you verify an individuals identity before issuing an ID card? What is the liability framework for misuse of these identities? How do you ensure compliance with varying international digital signature regulations?

It turns out that many aspects of identity management are core competencies of banks. Banks are regulated institutions that for hundreds of years have specialized in managing risk and serving as trusted third parties.

Recognizing this, this Pharmaceutical Company partnered with Citi to create and implement a solution to their paper challenge. As a result, a growing number of researchers have been issued Citi-backed digital identity smart cards, and a set of their processes and IT applications have been reengineered to use these identities.

Digital Identities in the Corporate Banking Process
In the corporate payments arena, Citi, Danone, BNP, and IdenTrust recently conducted a proof-of-concept using digital signatures for payments via the SWIFTNet FileAct service using the IdenTrust platform as a second signature in addition to the SWIFT PKI security. The pilot was the first step in a global project designed to implement corporate payments by using personally signed files - payment or other using a binding, interoperable identity deployment based on the IdenTrust platform.

The pilot involved Danone, a world leader in the food industry based in France, sending SWIFTNet payment instructions signed with a globally interoperable and non-repudiable IdenTrust personal digital signature. An authorized employee at Danone signed a payment file and sent it via SWIFTNet FileAct to Citi. Further, to demonstrate global bank interoperability, a second payment was sent via BNP Paribas, who was able to validate and rely on the Citi-issued digital identity. This demonstrates how globally interoperable digital signatures can be used across banks, and underscores the important role that banks are playing in helping their corporate clients meet their compliance needs relating to high value transactions.