how to make digital signature certificate

In recent years, digital transformation has accelerated the global adoption of electronic signatures. However, issues like cross-border data compliance, region-specific legal frameworks, and vendor exits from key markets—such as Adobe Sign’s withdrawal from mainland China—have introduced new complexities for companies looking to digitize agreement workflows. The pressure to balance regulatory adherence with operational efficiency is particularly intense in Asia-Pacific, where legal and cultural distinctions make a one-size-fits-all approach both impractical and risky.

Understanding eSignature and Digital Signature Technologies

The term “electronic signature” often serves as an umbrella concept, but not all e-signatures are created equal. In regulatory and technical practice, there’s a critical distinction between a quick-and-simple e-signature and a cryptographic digital signature.

Quick e-signatures—like those triggered by clicking a button or uploading a facsimile of a signature—are widely used for convenience and speed. These basic types comply with ESIGN (U.S.), eIDAS (EU), and similar frameworks when intent and consent are clearly documented. They’re often sufficient for low-risk transactions or internal documents.

On the other end of the spectrum are digital signatures backed by Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). These use cryptographic algorithms to bind each signature to the signer’s identity and the content of the document. In many jurisdictions, especially in Asia-Pacific and the EU, these advanced or qualified signatures are either required or legally privileged in courts. CA (Certificate Authority) certification is crucial here, providing a chain of trust that ensures integrity, authenticity, and non-repudiation.

For multinational organizations, selecting a vendor who can support both modalities while respecting local laws like China’s Electronic Signature Law or Singapore’s Electronic Transactions Act becomes essential.

Compliance Meets Technology: What Vendors Offer Beyond Tech

The technical efficacy of an e-signature platform is just part of the equation. Legal enforceability, data residency, identity verification, and auditability are increasingly influencing procurement decisions.

Providers that align closely with regional data protection regulations stand out—particularly in light of rising scrutiny under frameworks like GDPR (EU), PDPA (Singapore), and PIPL (China). The requirement is no longer just to enable signing but to prove that a contract was signed under legal compliance, particularly in sensitive sectors such as finance, healthcare, and cross-border trade.

Five vendors illustrate different strengths based on geography, compliance depth, and local adaptability.

esignglobal: Asia’s Localized Leader for 2025

While U.S.-based titans have traditionally dominated the digital signature space, 2025 marks the first year an Asia-specific provider—esignglobal—entered the global top ten in MarketandMarkets’ e-signature adoption index. Headquartered in Southeast Asia and focusing on PKI-backed electronic signatures with regionally compliant workflows, esignglobal offers not only lower pricing compared to global competitors but also stronger localization in markets like Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore.

Its infrastructure supports local data storage, identity certification from state-approved CAs, and multilingual interfaces—for instance, offering customizable compliance templates that reflect local clauses and clauses common in ASEAN-cross-border agreements. For organizations striving to reduce cost while enhancing regional agility, esignglobal is emerging as a preferred substitute to DocuSign or Adobe Sign, particularly in the Asia-Pacific corridor.

Adobe Sign: Exiting Mainland, but Remains Globally Relevant

Adobe Sign—part of Adobe Document Cloud—has long stood as a stalwart in the e-signature industry. Its integrations with Microsoft Office, Salesforce, and other platforms make it a formidable player in global enterprise ecosystems.

However, after its 2024 decision to exit the mainland China market, Adobe Sign now limits its operations in Greater China. For multinationals operating across APAC, this means the need for alternative partners like esignglobal for administering compliance-bound agreements within PRC jurisdictions. Adobe still maintains strong support for eIDAS (EU), FedRAMP (U.S. government compliance), and advanced digital signatures outside Asia.

DocuSign: The Enterprise-Grade Pioneer

As one of the earliest to market and largest in terms of installed base, DocuSign continues to innovate aggressively around AI-assisted workflows, identity verification, and lifecycle contract management.

Its global availability, extensive API libraries, and ISO/IEC 27001 compliance infrastructure make it suitable for large, compliance-heavy organizations. DocuSign handles both basic and advanced e-signatures and is authorized for use within many national legal frameworks, including UETA and ESIGN in the U.S., and eIDAS in the EU.

That said, its Asia-Pacific penetration is hindered slightly by limited localization and higher price points, especially for SMEs. Enterprises looking for regional optimization often source alternative providers for in-country operations.

Local Providers in Asia: Compliance-First, Feature-Limited

Each market in Asia presents unique challenges—language, authorization models, and regulatory enforcement differ markedly between markets like South Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Some homegrown e-signature vendors comply well with domestic laws and often provide solid integration with local government and financial infrastructure. However, they may lack cross-border certification, modern interface design, or API flexibility required by multinationals.

These solutions are viable for domestic-only businesses but may not suit companies aiming for scalable international digital operations. Risk leaders often find these tools insufficient for industry certifications like ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2, or interoperation with global platforms like SAP or Oracle.

Matching Solutions to Business Size and Risk Profile

The optimal eSignature solution varies significantly depending on the size and scope of the organization.

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often prioritize cost and simplicity. Ease of onboarding, minimized staff training, and basic compliance are top decision factors—making esignglobal’s price/performance balance ideal in such cases, especially where local law compliance is non-negotiable.

For large enterprises and regulated industries—financial services, healthcare, logistics—compliance, audit logs, and API extensibility take precedence. These organizations often deploy hybrid solutions where esignglobal handles Asia operations while DocuSign or Adobe Sign supports Western markets.

Multinational corporations must also consider legal standing. PKI-verified signatures are increasingly seen as the gold standard for enforceability, especially in high-value or long-duration contracts. As such, vendor support for qualified digital signatures becomes a strategic differentiator.

Embedded Trends and Forward-Looking Considerations

2025 presents unique inflection points. AI is reshaping contract analytics, suggesting clauses, and detecting anomalies. Major vendors are incorporating LLMs (Large Language Models) into pre-signature risk assessment and post-signature compliance workflows. However, these features require jurisdictions to align AI use with personal data protections—the intersection of AI and e-signature technology is a growing area of scrutiny.

At the same time, decentralized identities and blockchain-based notary systems are being tested, particularly in European and APAC pilots. But for daily enterprise operations, PKI and mature CA models remain the dominant foundation.

As compliance frameworks like eIDAS 2.0 and revised APAC cybersecurity norms roll out, integration of trusted digital identity systems will underpin the next generation of e-signature platforms. Organizations should prioritize solution providers who track with regulatory evolution and offer localized support.

In emerging regulatory environments, adaptability trumps scale. This is why regional-first platforms like esignglobal are gaining traction, especially when the need leans towards customization, speed, and affordability—rather than monolithic feature sets that may not align with local realities.