Market Newsdesk

WISeKey upgrades its WISeCoin blockchain technology with AI capabilities and integrates
physical and digital world in terms of value

AI takes the role of adaptive decision engine, offers meaningful insights to better understand objects and processes, and makes autonomous decisions based upon machine learning scripts

ZUG, Switzerland – December 17, 2020 – WISeKey International Holding (“WISeKey”, SIX: WIHN, NASDAQ: WKEY), a leading cybersecurity IoT company, today announced that its WISeCoin blockchain technology has been upgraded with AI capabilities.  AI allows the integration of physical world (objects, places and people) with digital world (software and analytics), creates meaningful insights and makes autonomous decisions based upon machine learning scripts.

 WISeCoin AG is a Special Purpose vehicle created by WISeKey in Zug to build the infrastructure for secure intra-object interactions and transactions using AI and blockchain. WISeKey applied and received regulatory clearance from Swiss financial market regulator, FINMA to issue a Security Token Offering (STO) in 2018.  The launch of this project is now scheduled for 2021 coinciding with the launch of Swiss Digital Exchange (SDX) in Switzerland by SIX Group (https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-digital-stock-exchange-branches-out-into-singapore/46210156).

Switzerland is one of several countries exploring the promised advantages of distributed ledger technology (DLT), a digital system closely related to blockchain. This would allow company shares and a range of other financial assets to be created and traded more efficiently. The plan is for WISeCoin AG issue a Token Offering in compliance with applicable Swiss law in 2021.

WISeCoin AG was formally established in August 2018 to secure the blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) world, which due to its continuously increasing size and complexity, is constantly vulnerable to cyber threats. WISeCoin AG benefits from the WISeKey architecture as the first and only vertically integrated platform combining proprietary cybersecurity software and secure microcontrollers designed to protect connected devices against evolving cyber threats.

Through its infrastructure, WISeKey is uniquely positioned to be the first mover in bringing legally enforceable transactions, certified by globally recognized WISeID and EIDAS accreditations, to blockchain.

To accelerate the pace of the implementation, WISeCoin AG was established to manage all blockchain initiatives and operations of WISeKey. With a strong emphasis on cybersecurity, WISeCoin’s mission is to pave the way for the daily use of 4th Industrial Revolution technologies in the IoT sector through blockchain.

Powered by WISeKey Semiconductors and secured by WISeKey Root of Trust (“RoT”) and Public Key Infrastructure (“PKI”), WISeCoin offers connected objects the ability to identify and authenticate each other, initiate, and then complete secure transactions.

Each connected object is equipped with WISeKey’s Secure Element consisting of a tamper resistant silicon chip, called VaultIC184. The state-of-the-art secure microcontroller, which can be easily integrated in any object by the manufacturer, is offered as a provisioning service to transfer the burden of device personalization to WISeKey’s secure Personalization Center. It is a next-generation technology designed from the ground up to be the data and value transfer layer for the Machine Economy.

The integration of arago into the WISekey platform upgrades the WISeCoin clockchain with AI capabilities by allowing the connection between the physical and digital world in terms of value. AI takes the role of adaptive decision engine, offers meaningful insights to better understand object behaviors and processes and makes autonomous decisions upon machine learning scripts.

Furthermore, the WISeCoin project will benefit from the recent joining  of WISeKey to Hyperledger, the multi-venture, multi-stakeholder effort hosted by the Linux Foundation. Hyperledger is an open source community focused on developing a suite of stable frameworks, tools and libraries for enterprise-grade blockchain deployment.

WISeKey’s technology supports an ecosystem of connected devices and creates a secured platform to help these devices become intelligent and trusted, able to identify, authenticate and verify each other, gather and analyze data and then safely share with other devices. As a pioneer of blockchain technologies, we are committed to continue our journey of creating cutting-edge applications designed to solve peoples’ problems, transform businesses and create a better world.”

WISeKey’s blockchain-based solutions aim to override the need for a central authority by distributing information previously held in a centralized repository across a network of participating nodes. While blockchain is not owned by one individual or organization, anyone with an internet connection (and access, in the case of private blockchains) can make use of it, help maintain and verify it. When a transaction is made on a blockchain, it is added to a group of transactions, known as “blocks.” Each block of transactions is added to the database in a chronological, immutable chain. Each block is stamped with a unique cryptographic code, which ensures that records are not counterfeited or changed. The blockchain approach lacks legal validity in most jurisdictions, which only recognize the digital signatures as equally valid that manuscript signatures when generated using traditional PKI technology.

Earlier this year, WISeKey established the Trust Protocol Association (the Association) aiming to create a new Trust Protocol for the Internet by combining traditional Cryptographic Trust Models with permissioned blockchain transactions through strong authentication provided by the OISTE WISeKey RoT, a new Global Trust platform and an ecosystem of governmental, technology and business partners, each representing a certification node with the possibility of having multiple certifications nodes per country.

The combination of RoT with blockchain generates a new Trust Protocol in order to allow the blockchain to scale trusted transactions with embedded security, ensuring that each transaction submitted to the blockchain is digitally signed using keys that are trusted by the RoT and combining a vertical trust process verified by a reputable Third Trusted Party with the inherent decentralized trust provided by the blockchain.

This dual Trust Model solves one of the biggest challenges for the internet, which is to bridge the currently fragmented trust domains including existing, incompatible national RoTs used by many governments. By combining RoT with blockchain, our innovative Trust Protocol enables a wide range of use cases and business models that simply are not possible with using just current blockchain-based solutions.

About WISeKey

WISeKey (SIX Swiss Exchange: WIHN) is a leading global cybersecurity company currently deploying large scale digital identity ecosystems for people and objects using Blockchain, AI and IoT respecting the Human as the Fulcrum of the Internet. WISeKey Microprocessors Secures the pervasive computing shaping today’s Internet of Everything. WISeKey IoT has an install base of over 1.5 billion microchips in virtually all IoT sectors (connected cars, smart cities, drones, agricultural sensors, anti-counterfeiting, smart lighting, servers, computers, mobile phones, crypto tokens etc.).  WISeKey is uniquely positioned to be at the edge of IoT as our semiconductors produce a huge amount of Big Data that, when analyzed with Artificial Intelligence (AI), can help industrial applications to predict the failure of their equipment before it happens.

Our technology is Trusted by the OISTE/WISeKey’s Swiss based cryptographic Root of Trust (“RoT”) provides secure authentication and identification, in both physical and virtual environments, for the Internet of Things, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. The WISeKey RoT serves as a common trust anchor to ensure the integrity of online transactions among objects and between objects and people. For more information, visit www.wisekey.com.

Press and investor contacts:

WISeKey International Holding Ltd
Company Contact:  Carlos Moreira
Chairman & CEO
Tel: +41 22 594 3000
[email protected]        

WISeKey Investor Relations (US)
Contact:  Lena Cati
The Equity Group Inc.
Tel: +1 212 836-9611
[email protected]

Disclaimer:
This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of article 652a or article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or a listing prospectus within the meaning of the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey.

BOISE, Idaho, Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — VisitPay, the leader in patient financial engagement, was officially rated today as a standout patient financial engagement platform in the latest report from KLAS: Patient Financial Experience 2020. The report closely examined two pillars of the patient financial experience market — engagement platforms along with financing services — to compare vendors in customer satisfaction, capabilities and patient benefits.

“This report is the first to deeply explore an important solution category: fostering a positive patient financial experience,” said Mac Boyter, Research Director and report author at KLAS. “Providers we spoke with told us that VisitPay brings unique consumer finance expertise to the healthcare industry, and is a standout performer due to the strength of its technology and high overall customer satisfaction.”¹

The report determined that VisitPay’s messaging capabilities are superior, with the company rated highest compared to all vendors analyzed for customized messaging based on patient behavior.² Health systems note that VisitPay “has worked extensively to supply them with messaging tools that cover every scenario and has helped them optimize these tools, which they describe as adaptable and functional”.³

In the interest of driving dynamic and meaningful industry-wide change, VisitPay focuses on meeting the needs of large, enterprise healthcare providers. Of those surveyed, VisitPay was the only organization to have respondents solely from large organizations⁴, emphasizing its intent to deliver the broadest impact to patient and provider financial health.

VisitPay also came in at the No. 1 spot for supporting integration goals.⁵ KLAS notes that this high score is a result of the platform’s single sign-on functionality, enabled by interoperability and optimization with existing EMRs, with customers saying “the VisitPay platform has increased patient satisfaction and reduced cost to collect by consolidating bills and thus reducing patient pain points.”⁶

“With over a quarter million Intermountain and SelectHealth members already using VisitPay, and the platform’s deep integration with our My Health+ digital patient portal, VisitPay is a key part of our systemwide consumerism strategy going forward,” said Todd Craghead, Vice President of Revenue Cycle for Intermountain Healthcare.

Importantly, KLAS found that “VisitPay customers feel the vendor’s tools enable them to offer patients a variety of payment options, leading to increased collections”.⁷ This result is proving critical in today’s dire economic climate as the healthcare industry grapples with financial implications from COVID-19, a recession and more.

“We are honored to be ranked a clear category leader,” said Kent Ivanoff, CEO and co-founder of VisitPay. “This report validates our strategy of working exclusively with large enterprise health systems, delivering a unique combination of technology and consumer finance expertise that builds patient and member loyalty.”

The KLAS findings come on the heels of major partnership momentum for VisitPay. Since August, health systems including Geisinger, Riverside, ProHealth Care and WellSpan have joined other major systems such as Henry Ford and Intermountain Healthcare in partnering with VisitPay as they recognize the platform for its superior patient payment options and finance tools.

To download the full KLAS report, please go to: https://www.visitpay.com/executive-reports/klas-report-patient-financial-experience-2020/

About VisitPay

Founded in 2010, VisitPay is the leader in patient financial engagement. The company’s third-generation cloud-based platform is used by the nation’s largest and most innovative health systems to deliver transparency, choice, and control to patients managing healthcare payments and transactions. Through VisitPay, patients can access a comprehensive accounting of their financial obligations, as well as critical health plan and healthcare information, via a health system-branded portal. VisitPay’s proprietary analytics tailor consistent and fully compliant financing options that meet the unique needs of patients and their families, creating a simplified billing experience that drives both higher payment rates and improved patient satisfaction scores. VisitPay’s investors include Norwest Venture Partners, Flare Capital Partners, and Ascension Ventures.

Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Visit our Company Blog to access case studies, thought leadership, and news.

Media Contact

Natalie Pacini
Highwire PR for VisitPay
415-335-7641 ext. 43
[email protected]

^{_______________________________________________
1} KLAS, Patient Financial Experience (2020) p. 5

² KLAS, Patient Financial Experience (2020) p. 5

³ KLAS, Patient Financial Experience (2020) p. 5

⁴ KLAS, Patient Financial Experience (2020) p. 5

⁵ KLAS, Patient Financial Experience (2020) p. 24

⁶ KLAS, Patient Financial Experience (2020) p. 23

⁷ KLAS, Patient Financial Experience (2020) p. 5

ALAMEDA, Calif., Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Jitterbit, the API transformation company, today announced it has named Mihir Shah Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy, a key business development role as the company looks to sustain and build upon its significant growth. A 15-year veteran in the enterprise and private equity space, Shah has extensive experience in the data management segment, having worked with organizations of various sizes, as well as outstanding deal-making credentials.

Shah most recently served as Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy at Magnitude Software, where he helped grow the business by three times in size and profitability via acquisitions over a three-year period. Since leaving Magnitude Software in May, Shah worked as an advisor to Audax Private Equity (“Audax”) for its investment in Jitterbit.

“Mihir comes highly recommended from board members, investors, and C-level executives due to his past experiences and the results he has delivered throughout his career,” said George Gallegos, CEO at Jitterbit. “We are excited to add an experienced veteran with a track record of scaling businesses by up to 400% through various M&A growth levers.”

“It’s a great time to join Jitterbit due to its leadership position in the fast-growing iPaaS segment, a market with multiple dimensions for growth including highly attractive adjacent markets and scaling through consolidation,” Shah said. “Audax’s recent investment in the company has created flexibility of capital structure, creating ideal conditions for Jitterbit to supercharge and accelerate its organic growth by exploiting inorganic growth opportunities.”

Before his four-year stint at Magnitude Software, Shah worked as an operating executive at Golden Gate Capital and also spent three years at Aspect Software, where he was Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy. Before that he spent nearly six years at IBM, where he worked as a Managing S Consultant and an M&A executive. He is a graduate of University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

About Jitterbit, Inc.

Jitterbit, the API transformation company, makes it quicker and easier for businesses to exploit data from any source, empowering them to rapidly innovate and make faster, more effective decisions. The Jitterbit Harmony API integration platform and API360 solutions enable companies to quickly connect SaaS, on-premises, and cloud applications and instantly infuse intelligence into any business process. To learn more, visit www.jitterbit.com or follow us on LinkedIn and on Twitter at @Jitterbit.

Contact:
[email protected]

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ecwid, a leading global software-as-a-service (SaaS) e-commerce company, today revealed that new signups across the European Union grew by 143 percent in the first half of the year and regional transaction volume increased by 150 percent compared to last year. Ecwid also announced partnerships with key European payments providers, including: Giropay, SOFORT, iDeal, SEPA, Klarna, and PayPal Plus. Ecwid has seen tremendous growth over the last several months in the region, along with similar growth in North America, fortifying its position as a category leader.

Helping European Small Businesses Survive a Global Pandemic

Small businesses comprise 99 percent of all businesses in Europe and account for over 50 percent of GDP across the region. Ecwid has consistently championed small businesses’ survival by delivering a trusted and free-to-use e-commerce platform to hundreds of thousands of small businesses globally. Since the start of the pandemic, Ecwid has enabled thousands of European businesses to digitize their storefronts and operations as store closures and nationwide shutdowns impacted the region.

According to BuiltWith®, a competitive analysis and business intelligence tool providing technology adoption, e-commerce data and usage analytics for the internet, Ecwid is among the top three e-commerce solutions for a third of Europe, including Germany, Italy and France. In the first half of the year, in these markets, Ecwid has grown new users by more than 200 percent.

“The pandemic has made our mission to democratize access to commerce technology tools all the more meaningful and important,” said Ruslan Fazlyev, CEO of Ecwid. “The ability to help small businesses worldwide move online quickly, tap into key marketplaces as well as access a range of payments solutions has enabled us to become the provider of choice and meet the needs of newly-online companies.”

Regional Partner Ecosystem Growth Supports Increased Demand for E-commerce

Ecwid partners with agencies, site-builders, hosts, as well as point-of-sale and payments providers to build end-to-end e-commerce capabilities for small businesses. Ecwid’s partners across Europe more than doubled in the last year as more technology companies powering online selling, marketing, payments, and shipping have built strategic partnerships to better support increased need for small business e-commerce.

To better support merchants across Europe, Ecwid is partnering with leading secure payments providers in the region, further establishing its leadership in the market. The new regional European payment providers are available to merchants via Stripe, the technology company building economic infrastructure for the internet, which has a longstanding partnership with Ecwid. New partnerships include:

• Giropay offers payment and verification solutions for merchants. With over 15,000 contractual relationships with German banks, Giropay reaches over 85 percent of the banking market. Accessible by more than 40 million shoppers and accounts for 16 percent of all online transactions in Germany.

• SOFORT provides bank transfer payment services to over 30,000 merchants across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

• iDeal powers is a top online payments solution, powering bank transfers in the Netherlands. iDeal currently manages nearly 55 percent of online transactions nationwide — processing 655 million transactions in 2019 alone.

• SEPA establishes a unified EU system which makes cross-border cashless payments in euros as simple as international payments. Used in 36 European countries, SEPA is most popular across Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands.

• Klarna delivers installment payments and is the #1 market leader in the European Union, Australia, and US — helping merchants provide flexible payment solutions that increase sales by unlocking consumers’ purchasing power.

• PayPal Plus supports merchants in accepting preferred local payment methods directly on their websites, without necessitating buyers use a PayPal login. Merchants have access to all payments types within one integration.

“Being global shouldn’t come at the cost of also being local,” said Sophie Sakellariadis, Product Manager at Stripe. “Businesses that accept local payment methods see increased reach and conversion in global markets. Stripe’s partnership with Ecwid helps businesses go global from day one whilst adapting to the local preferences of customers around the world.”

About Ecwid

Ecwid is a global SaaS e-commerce platform company established in 2009. Ecwid provides online selling solutions for small businesses in over 175 countries and in 54 languages. Ecwid was built to enable businesses to quickly and easily create a new online store or add shopping capabilities to an existing website. The platform offers merchants a comprehensive set of e-commerce tools, including access to key marketplaces, including Amazon and Google, access to a range of point-of-sales solutions and the ability to advertise and sell on social media channels such as Instagram and Facebook. Ecwid offers a free one-page ecommerce website to each user and can integrate with any site builder, including WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and more. For more information visit: https://www.ecwid.com

Contact:

LaunchSquad for Ecwid E-commerce
[email protected]