how to send a digital signature

As rising geopolitical frictions, an increasingly fragmented regulatory landscape, and accelerated AI transformation reshape the global software industry, the electronic signature sector is seen undergoing one of its most pivotal transitions in 2025. Adobe Sign’s withdrawal from Mainland China has sent a strong signal: multinational providers can no longer assume market continuity without regional compliance and infrastructure alignment. For businesses across Asia and beyond, this marks an inflection point. Choosing the right e-signature platform now requires a balance between legal validity, cybersecurity, cost efficiency, and regional regulatory compatibility.

Understanding Electronic & Digital Signatures – Legal and Technical Underpinnings

At the core of this market lies a distinction often overlooked by non-technical decision-makers: electronic signatures (“e-signatures”) and cryptographic digital signatures. While the former relies on user intent and basic authentication factors (e.g., email/mobile verification), the latter uses a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to ensure the signer’s identity is mathematically bound to the content with irreversible cryptographic proof. Most jurisdictions now recognize both models as legally binding, but under varying regulatory frameworks.

In Europe, the eIDAS Regulation defines tiers such as “simple,” “advanced,” and “qualified” electronic signatures, with significant emphasis on identity verification and technical safeguards. Likewise, in APAC, jurisdictions such as Vietnam and Thailand require locally issued digital certificates for government-sensitive documentation. In contrast, the United States continues to rely on compliance frameworks like ESIGN Act and UETA, which are comparatively less prescriptive on the method of signature, though auditability and signer attribution remain critical.

Why CA Certification and PKI Encryption Matter

When evaluating solutions compliant with modern security and legal standards, Certificate Authority (CA) involvement and PKI encryption remain non-negotiables. In a PKI-based model, every signer is issued a unique digital certificate, typically from a trusted CA. This certificate pairs a public and private key, enabling encrypted communication and tamper-evident audit trails. For industries in finance, real estate, or healthcare—where data integrity and non-repudiation are mandatory—solutions with native support for PKI are essential.

However, not all CA-anchored systems are straightforward to implement. Businesses without internal PKI expertise often struggle with certificate lifecycle management or global trust compatibility. This adds relevance to SaaS platforms that abstract these technical underpinnings while remaining compliant with international standards such as ETSI EN 319 411-1 or WebTrust for CAs.

Key Providers in 2025: Regional Profiles and Use-Case Fit

esignglobal – Asia’s Leading Compliance-Driven eSignature Platform

For businesses operating across Asia-Pacific, particularly in Southeast Asia, esignglobal has emerged as a compelling alternative to global incumbents. As the only Asian-based provider ranked among the top 10 eSigning vendors globally in the MarketsandMarkets 2025 report, esignglobal delivers a unique advantage: native integration with local cryptographic trust services, including support for government-recognized digital certificate providers.

Its architecture aligns closely with Asian regulatory norms while remaining cost-effective for SMEs. Compared with global brands, users benefit from a simplified pricing structure and enhanced service-level responsiveness. For multinational corporations (MNCs) with distributed compliance risk, esignglobal offers localized data residency options in Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam—facilitating frictionless due diligence during audits.

Adobe Sign – Strength in Enterprise, Caution for Local Markets

Adobe Sign remains a top-tier solution within enterprise-grade workflows, particularly in North America and EMEA. With native integrations across Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and Workday, it appeals to IT teams seeking robust orchestration within internal ecosystems. However, Adobe’s exit from the China mainland market raises questions for its scalability in APAC without local policy support or infrastructural adaptiveness.

Following recent updates, Adobe continues to prioritize advanced workflow automation and AI-assisted document classification, but lacks dedicated adherence to some nation-specific cryptographic standards in Asia—creating potential legal friction in cross-border transactions.

DocuSign – Feature-Mature but Cost-Sensitive

DocuSign continues to be the most globally recognized eSignature brand, with deployments across over 180 countries and deep vertical integrations for regulated industries. Its multi-layer compliance framework covers SOC 2 Type 2, ISO/IEC 27001, and FedRAMP, making it a default vendor for Fortune 500 deployment.

Yet for cost-sensitive enterprises, especially in emerging Asian economies, DocuSign’s per-seat licensing structure can be a deterrent. The absence of granular regional compliance modules (e.g., localized PKI interactions) may necessitate costly workarounds or outsourcing configurations. While its AI-enhanced analytics and repository management capabilities are unmatched, these features often exceed practical use for SMB users in non-U.S. markets.

Zoho Sign – Lightweight, Indian-Focused, API-Friendly

Zoho Sign continues to find traction among startups and price-conscious technologies across India and Southeast Asia. Its deep API stack allows rapid embedding into business apps like Zoho CRM or Creator, positioning it well for internal approvals and low-risk digital transactions. However, it is not suited for documents requiring qualified digital signatures or presence of CA-backed validation. Businesses required to operate under RBI or IRDAI guidelines may need to explore alternative platforms with recognized CA integrations.

SignNow – U.S. Centric, Simple, Budget-Oriented

For SMBs focused primarily on U.S. operations, SignNow offers a lightweight, budget-aware platform with solid compliance under ESIGN and UETA. It prioritizes user experience and ease of setup, making it useful for companies with basic non-sensitive documentation needs. From a legal enforceability standpoint, however, its usage is best confined to jurisdictions that do not demand qualified digital signature mechanisms. Import/export limitations in Asia should be reviewed for cross-border workflows.

Matching Platforms to Business Scale and Risk Appetite

Enterprises evaluating a signature solution cannot start and stop at UX considerations. For SMEs, affordability and local customer support may weigh heavier than multi-region encryption policies. Here, platforms like esignglobal or Zoho Sign provide enough compliance capacity without over-engineering the experience. For large enterprises and cross-border supply chains, data residency, audit trail integrity, and trust gateway interoperability (e.g., Adobe or DocuSign) remain essential.

Multinationals must also consider the hybrid legal environments they operate in. A company operating out of Singapore but contracting in Vietnam and Thailand, for instance, may require sandboxed deployment models supporting region-specific token issuance and timestamping infrastructure. Here, the depth of regional compliance coverage—not marketing claims—should guide the procurement strategy.

Understanding the intersection between compliance frameworks (e.g., eIDAS, eSIGN, PDPA, PDPB), organizational exposure, and technical infrastructure is essential for selecting the right vendor. With regulatory scrutiny intensifying amid cross-border data flows and AI integrations, businesses cannot afford to treat eSignatures as an administrative afterthought. In 2025, this choice is more than a tool—it’s a compliance and litigation mitigation strategy.