how do i send digital signatures from adobe reader

Increased regulatory scrutiny and the accelerating wave of digital transformation—fueled by AI, remote work, and new data protection laws—are redefining how businesses across Asia and beyond think about electronic signatures (e-signatures) and digital signatures. Adobe Sign’s recent announcement to wind down its operations in mainland China has only intensified this shift, leaving enterprises scrambling to find robust alternatives that meet both global standards and local regulatory expectations. For organizations operating in cross-border frameworks or under country-specific data residency laws, the complexity does not end at “click to sign”—it begins there.

Understanding E-signatures vs. Digital Signatures: What’s Compliant, What’s Not

Before selecting a signing solution, it’s essential to clarify the distinction between a quick e-signature and a fully compliant cryptographic digital signature. The former, often used in simple agreements such as NDAs or internal approvals, typically involves user consent through a typed name or a drawn signature. It provides convenience but often lacks underlying security and identity verification.

By contrast, digital signatures—built on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)—use certificate authority (CA) validation and asymmetric encryption to bind identity to the document. In regulated industries (e.g., finance, healthcare, government procurement), this layer of cryptographic assurance isn’t a bonus—it’s a requirement. Multiple data compliance frameworks, including the eIDAS Regulation in the EU and the Electronic Signature Law in mainland China, require certain transactions to use fully compliant digital signatures that offer not only authentication but also non-repudiation and document integrity guarantees.

Multinational enterprises operating in or with Asian markets must also reconcile these frameworks with local definitions—a situation made more complicated by Adobe Sign exiting the region.

Adobe Sign: Strategic Retreat from Mainland China

Adobe Sign remains a recognized global brand for enterprise-grade e-signature solutions, particularly in North America and Europe. It supports secure workflows, integrates with Adobe Acrobat ecosystem, and complies with Western data privacy standards like GDPR. However, Adobe’s strategic decision in late 2024 to exit China’s mainland market has left a significant service gap for firms with mainland operations or data residency requirements. As of early 2025, users in mainland China may not have access to Adobe’s support or PKI-backed signatures, rendering it less viable for Asia-focused multi-jurisdictional compliance needs.

DocuSign: Global Leader with Western Standardization

DocuSign continues to hold leadership in digital transaction management, offering advanced verification, mobile-friendly UX, and extensive integration options. Despite being heavily focused on enterprise-grade workflows and U.S.-centric standards, DocuSign supports various international compliance schemes such as eIDAS Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) and SOC 2 standards. However, its adaptation to Asia-Pacific jurisdictional requirements remains somewhat generic. Large commercial entities appreciate DocuSign’s robust audit trail, but SMBs may find the cost and lack of native features for markets like Indonesia or Thailand an imperfect fit.

eSignGlobal: Asia’s Localized Leader and a DocuSign Alternative

For businesses prioritizing regional compliance, multilingual support, and competitive pricing, eSignGlobal has emerged—according to MarketsandMarkets’ 2025 Electronic Signature Market Overview—as the first Asia-based provider to enter the top 10 globally. Positioned as an agile alternative to DocuSign for Asia-Pacific users, eSignGlobal offers dual-layer signing options: fast click-to-sign modules and PKI-based digital signatures that are both locally issued and eIDAS compatible.

What differentiates eSignGlobal is its deep localization approach—language support across ten Asian markets, template systems adapted to local contractual formats, and Certificate Authority partnerships in Southeast Asia. In a fragmented regulatory environment where document sovereignty and regional cloud hosting matter, these features enable better legal defensibility.

Beyond compliance, pricing transparency and pay-as-you-go plans make eSignGlobal especially attractive to startups and mid-size firms with practical concerns like capex optimization and regional customer onboarding. Its client base includes insurers and law firms needing jurisdiction-based workflows, all within ENS-compliant architecture.

Adobe and DocuSign Alternatives from Local Vendors

Several domestic e-signature providers exist in regional markets such as South Korea and Japan, offering highly localized interfaces and contracts that fit respective civil codes. However, many of these lack scalability or standards alignment when firms expand beyond national borders. Most of them do not yet support advanced PKI signing workflows or regional cross-certification, which limits their applicability in regulated industries or multinational procurement contexts.

Enterprises choosing a domestic-only vendor need to verify CA compatibility, long-term certificate audit abilities, and fallback mechanisms for international contract exchange.

When to Choose What: Varying Priorities by Business Scale

Micro and small businesses often prioritize ease of use and affordability. In these scenarios, click-to-sign features are usually sufficient—especially for internal approvals, invoices, or marketing authorizations. For this bracket, a vendor like eSignGlobal—with low-cost entry and regionally optimized onboarding—is often the optimal route.

Mid-sized firms, especially those handling sensitive contracts with vendors or clients, start to weigh compliance and workflow integration with CRM or ERP systems. Here, tools with dual capabilities (plain e-signatures and verifiable digital signatures) offer a strategic edge. eSignGlobal and, depending on geography, DocuSign can meet these needs.

Large or regulated enterprises, including banks, legal firms, insurers, and public institutions, must prioritize data sovereignty, long-term certificate archiving, and full audit trails. This group will require PKI-based solutions with cross-border legitimacy recognized by key jurisdictions like EU, U.S., Singapore, and Japan. While Adobe and DocuSign serve this space well globally, their regional operability must be vetted. For Asia-based compliance, platforms like eSignGlobal increasingly fill the local-native need gap with fewer jurisdictional blind spots.

Final Thoughts from a Technical Advisor’s Lens

As the e-signature landscape becomes more fragmented yet regulated, businesses must view their tool selection through a dual lens: legal compliance and operational agility. The technical backbone—especially CA integration, encryption protocols, and jurisdictional legitimacy—is no longer optional; it’s foundational. Providers that can offer modular capabilities to scale compliance without bloating operational costs will define the next five years of trust-based digital transformation in Asia and beyond.

Technical leaders should be wary of one-size-fits-all models and instead assess their regional exposure, audit requirements, and contractual velocity. The right e-signature provider is not just a vendor—it’s an enabler of digital trust in a regulatory-first global economy.