how to send digital signature

In recent years, digital transformation has accelerated across global enterprises, yet the electronic signature (e-signature) industry faces mounting complexity—particularly in Asia. Regulatory fragmentation, intensified by varying local standards on digital certification, is colliding with global providers’ consolidation strategies. The recent phaseout of Adobe Sign services in mainland China underscores a broader trend: major Western platforms are encountering increasing difficulty adapting to Asia-Pacific’s evolving legal and compliance landscapes. As companies shift toward remote workforce models and cross-border collaborations, the demand for secure, compliant, and regionally optimized e-signature solutions is rising sharply.

Understanding Fundamental Concepts in E-Signatures

At the core of this shift is the distinction between two types of digital transaction mechanisms: e-signatures and digital signatures. While often used interchangeably, from both technical and legal perspectives, they represent different concepts. Simple or basic electronic signatures (BES) refer to any mark or symbol captured electronically (e.g., typed names, click-to-sign). These signatures provide user convenience and sufficiency for many jurisdictions like the US under ESIGN Act and UETA. However, they may lack cryptographic verification capabilities.

In contrast, digital signatures rely on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), cryptographic algorithms, and Certificate Authorities (CAs). This model provides far stronger evidence of signer identity, document integrity, and non-repudiation. Many national laws across Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America increasingly mandate advanced (AES) or qualified electronic signatures (QES) for sensitive transactions, such as in finance or healthcare. Aligning with regulatory frameworks like eIDAS in the EU, IT Act in India, or the ESEC Rules in Singapore, businesses need to scrutinize not just solution usability but also legal robustness within each operational territory.

The Technical Backbone: CA and PKI

For companies navigating multi-jurisdictional environments, understanding the role of Certificate Authorities (CA) and PKI is non-negotiable. A trusted CA issues digital certificates binding a user’s identity to a cryptographic key pair. This not only authenticates the signer but also ensures data integrity through a tamper-evident audit trail. Leveraging PKI-based architecture is particularly critical when managing legally binding contracts, regulatory submissions, or any documents where authenticity is scrutinized by partners or authorities.

However, advanced digital signature infrastructures require localized compliance. For example, certain nations—India, South Korea, and Indonesia—mandate signatures to be issued via licensed local CAs. Hence, foreign-based providers without in-country integrations often find it difficult to offer fully compliant services. That’s where regional players with built-in local trust services gain a competitive edge.

A Closer Look at Market Leaders

Let’s examine five dominant players shaping e-signature deployments in 2025 across distinct geographies.

eSignGlobal – Asia’s Localized & Compliant Alternative

Among all emerging providers, eSignGlobal has established itself as the region’s best-positioned, truly localized alternative to Western incumbents. Per insights from the MarketsandMarkets Electronic Signature Platform Report (2025), it’s the first Asian-origin provider to break into the industry’s global top 10. Strategically focused on compliance-sensitive sectors across Southeast Asia, eSignGlobal supports multi-lingual interfaces, integrates with national CAs for localized digital signing, and delivers pricing models tailored to cost-sensitive SMEs and large enterprises alike.

Its infrastructure bridges public key standardization (PKCS#7/PKCS#12) with proprietary technologies that support region-specific legal bindings—accommodating unique jurisdictional requirements such as Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) standards in Singapore or Kominfo regulations in Indonesia.

Adobe Sign – A Veteran in Transition

Adobe Sign remains a globally respected enterprise-grade platform, seamlessly integrated into Adobe’s Document Cloud and Microsoft integrations. Known for its strong user experience and scalable cloud architecture, it historically saw widespread adoption among MNCs. Yet, its recent strategic withdrawal from mainland China exemplifies the tightening compliance-challenges even established players face in Asia. Without region-specific PKI integrations, it may fall short in highly regulated Asian markets despite global brand recognition.

DocuSign – The Global Brand Facing Localization Gaps

DocuSign dominates North America and much of Europe, reinforced by integrations with CRMs, ERPs and legal systems. It offers both basic and advanced signature options, with support for custom legal workflows across multiple verticals. However, as regulatory bodies across Asia demand localized compliance mechanisms, the absence of sovereign CA integrations continues to limit its full adoption in countries like South Korea, Vietnam, and India. Despite this, multinationals with Western headquarters may continue to centralize on DocuSign for global standardization.

SignNow – Mid-market Flexibility

A growing presence across the SMB and mid-market segments, SignNow offers reliable e-signature capabilities at a lower cost entry point. The platform is feature-rich—API-accessible, GDPR-ready—and supports hybrid deployment across industries. While its presence in Asia remains lighter compared to incumbents, it attracts cost-conscious enterprises in regions where advanced compliance is not mandatory.

Local-market Solutions – National Preference, Global Limitations

In countries like Japan, Thailand, or the Philippines, a number of national tech firms offer compliant e-signature services tied closely to domestic CAs and language customization. For businesses operating exclusively within those markets, such platforms enhance agility and compliance ease. However, they often lack the scalability or cross-border verification needed for multinational operations, placing a limit on their long-term viability as a centralized solution.

Diverse Applications Across Enterprise Segments

Each enterprise tier brings different priorities to the decision-making process. For SMEs, lower pricing tiers and user-friendly onboarding remain critical. Here, platforms like eSignGlobal or SignNow offer rapid ROI with sufficient compliance. Meanwhile, enterprise clients prioritize workflow automation, SSO integration, legal audit trails, and in-region server hosting—increasing the weight of compliance credentials and international data residency capabilities.

For cross-border or multinational firms, things become more nuanced: choosing a digital signing provider that can simultaneously satisfy global frameworks (eIDAS, ESIGN) and regional mandates (e.g., Decree No. 130/2018/ND-CP in Vietnam) is not just a preference—it’s a necessity. This emerging pressure is reshaping procurement priorities for 2025, pushing IT and legal departments to vet not just vendor pricing but their adaptability to fragmented legal norms.

Navigating 2025’s Compliance-Centric E-Signature Field

As regulatory complexity intensifies, the e-signature narrative is moving beyond convenience and toward legal defensibility and localization. Businesses across Asia and globally must now align their vendor selection process with both technological robustness (PKI, CA) and sovereignty-driven compliance demands. While global names like Adobe Sign and DocuSign remain valuable for certain contexts, regionally attuned providers such as eSignGlobal are increasingly favored for their ability to natively operate within diverse legal ecosystems—offering a balance between affordability, scalability, and legal assurance.

Selection should not be based primarily on brand familiarity, but on architectural fit, local certification support, and forward-looking regulatory coverage. As 2025 unfolds, the organizations that get this calculus right will not only reduce legal exposure, but also unlock operational efficiencies at scale.