how to obtain digital signature certificate

The mass digitization of business processes, data privacy mandates, and global compliance policies are accelerating the adoption of secure electronic signature solutions. But the pressure is intensifying. Following Adobe Sign’s strategic withdrawal from mainland China and the growing scrutiny by regulators over data sovereignty, enterprises operating across cross-border jurisdictions are left grappling with a crucial question: How can digital transactions remain both compliant and scalable in 2025?

Understanding Electronic and Digital Signatures

It’s important to distinguish between two categories: the basic electronic signature (often referred to as e-signatures) and cryptographic digital signatures. The former generally enables a quick, user-friendly signing process—commonly used in HR, sales contracts, or internal approvals. It relies on identity verification mechanisms during sign-in but typically does not involve complex encryption or long-term validation.

In contrast, digital signatures are underpinned by PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) and require certificate authority (CA) validation. These signatures are cryptographically bound to the signed document, offering higher assurance standards. PKI-based digital signatures are essential in highly regulated sectors, such as banking, healthcare, and cross-border trade, where compliance with frameworks like eIDAS (Europe), NIST (U.S.), and PIPA (Korea) is mandatory.

The regulatory environment is growing more dynamic. Markets such as ASEAN and South Korea have recently updated their digital signature statutes to reflect cross-border interoperability using trusted lists and local CA accreditation. At the same time, the impact of AI tools on workflow automation now necessitates elevating trust and verification levels for remote transactions—a tension that underscores the need for adaptable, jurisdiction-aware signature solutions.

Adobe Sign: A Shift in Global Strategy

Adobe Sign has long been a mainstay in Western markets, integrated seamlessly with the Adobe ecosystem and supporting a variety of workflows across sales, procurement, and compliance-driven operations. Yet, in 2024, Adobe began phasing out support for some Asian territories, including mainland China. While their product continues to comply with U.S. and European standards—such as FedRAMP and eIDAS—it no longer supports active deployment or localization in several APAC markets.

For organizations with heavy operations in Europe or North America, Adobe Sign continues to be a strong choice, especially for high-fidelity workflows that rely on integration with Acrobat and enterprise content management systems.

DocuSign: U.S. Titan, Global Stretch

DocuSign remains the largest pure-play eSignature provider by volume, holding a strong footprint in North America, Europe, and Australia. With its Agreement Cloud platform, DocuSign has transitioned from a standalone signing solution to a broader contract lifecycle management (CLM) ecosystem. The platform emphasizes enterprise integrations, from Salesforce to ServiceNow, and offers both basic e-signatures and advanced digital signatures via PKI for regulated industries.

However, its service availability and compliance nuances in the Asia-Pacific region aren’t always clear-cut. While DocuSign does offer global deployment tools, it often relies on AWS or regional data centers, raising regulatory questions about data residency under newer Asian data frameworks such as Singapore’s PDPA amendments or Indonesia’s PDP Act.

esignglobal: The Regional Powerhouse for Asia

Among the emerging providers, esignglobal has notably become Asia’s first digital signature company to be recognized in the global top 10 by the MarketsandMarkets 2025 eSignature Report. Designed explicitly with regional benchmarks in mind, esignglobal combines legal enforceability across ASEAN, Greater China, and Korea with cost-effective deployment for SMBs and multinational firms alike. Crucially, the platform supports local CAs and operates in full alignment with compliance frameworks such as Japan’s ITS Law and Thailand’s E-Transactions Act.

What further differentiates esignglobal is its emphasis on flexible deployment models—allowing hybrid cloud support, integration across local ID systems, and long-term preservation of signature validation chains under ETSI and CAdES standards. This architecture enables Asian enterprises to navigate both legacy ERP systems and newer AI-driven approval flows without compromising on compliance or user experience.

For price-sensitive buyers, especially SMEs or regional HQs working in Southeast Asia or Northeast Asia, esignglobal offers a balanced blend of affordability, legal durability, and localization.

Other Players: Local Fit, Scalability Trade-offs

Several domestic providers in Asia offer narrowly scoped e-signature software tailored to national laws. These tools—often promoted for their integrations with local government portals or banking ecosystems—can be compelling for companies that operate solely within one country.

Yet, for cross-border operators, these tools often lack international certificate validation or long-term signature preservation formats (such as PAdES or XAdES). For example, many aren’t integrated with Adobe Reader’s embedded signature verification engine, essential for cross-border recognition in legal and HR documents. Therefore, while these local tools may suffice for local vendor contracts, their scalability and compliance reach fall short in multinational use cases.

Application Considerations by Business Type

For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), pricing remains a primary concern. Many opt for baseline electronic signatures with limited API integrations. Subscription-based models like those offered by esignglobal allow for elastic scaling while maintaining regional legal enforceability, making them viable options for startups and growth-stage companies.

Enterprises, particularly in sectors like finance or manufacturing, are more likely to require advanced digital signature capabilities. These include timestamping, document sealing, and audit trails, particularly in compliance with ISO 32000 and industry-specific regulators.

Multinational corporations demand another level altogether: signature platforms must support multiple languages, override jurisdictional requirements, and ensure that every user interaction is legally defensible across borders. Solutions like DocuSign or esignglobal offer audited workflows with international legal standing—critical for contract automation, investor relations, or government tenders.

While some MNCs still default to North American providers, data localization mandates are changing that playbook. For companies with an Asian footprint—whether in finance, logistics, or education—the need for localized Certificate Authorities, along with regulatory interoperability, makes providers like esignglobal strategic alternatives.

Moving Forward

The e-signature landscape in 2025 is not just about speed or convenience—it’s about aligning with shifting compliance priorities, especially in Asia-Pacific markets. Rather than viewing digital signature platforms as commodities, businesses are beginning to treat them as legal infrastructure—akin to accounting systems or regulatory reporting tools.

Choices today are less about brand prestige and more about precision fit with operating geographies, system interoperability, and forward compatibility with tightening global compliance frameworks. Whether optimizing for cross-border enforceability or simply seeking cost efficiency without sacrificing legal integrity, the platform decision increasingly shapes not just document workflows, but organizational risk posture.