Archipelagos

Archipels provides a decentralized digital identity platform leveraging blockchain technology to enhance trust and security in digital exchanges. The company was conceptualized in 2019 and officially founded in 2020, originating from a French consortium of major corporations including Caisse des Dépôts, La Poste, Engie, and EDF. This consortium acts as the operator of the private, permissioned Archipels blockchain. In May 2023, the consortium expanded to include IN Groupe, a specialist in identity and secure digital services, which joined as a strategic investor during a seed funding round of an undisclosed amount.

Hervé Bonazzi, a serial entrepreneur with a background in creating and leading technology firms such as Finaxys and Scaled Risk, served as CEO from September 2020 to June 2024. His expertise in blockchain and compliance guided the company's initial development and product launch.

The firm's business model is centered on a B2B SaaS platform, Archipels Business, which enables organizations to verify the identities and data of customers, suppliers, and partners (KYC/KYS/KYB). This is achieved by requesting and verifying digital attestations, or credentials, that are anchored on the blockchain for immutability and traceability. The service is delivered via a SaaS platform and APIs that integrate with clients' existing systems. While the Archipels Wallet is free for individual users to manage and present their verified credentials, the company generates revenue by charging businesses for the verification and issuance of these credentials. This model aims to streamline onboarding processes, significantly reduce document fraud and identity theft, and ensure compliance with regulations like eIDAS 2.0.

Archipels offers a suite of products to facilitate this ecosystem. Archipels Certify allows for the anchoring of documents and data on the blockchain. Archipels Verify handles the verification of these anchored documents. These services culminate in Archipels Wallet for individuals and Archipels Business for companies, creating a two-sided network. The platform supports a variety of attestations, including proof of age, company registration (KBIS), bank identity (IBAN), and employee verification. By operating on a Layer-2 solution, the infrastructure is designed to be scalable, avoiding the transaction limits of some other blockchain systems. The company is actively involved in major European digital identity pilots, positioning itself to become a significant player in the evolving digital identity landscape.

Keywords: digital identity, blockchain technology, identity verification, fraud prevention, Know Your Customer (KYC), Know Your Business (KYB), SaaS platform, decentralized identity, self-sovereign identity (SSI), eIDAS 2.0, document certification, data verification, digital wallet, trust infrastructure, API integration, anti-fraud, compliance, secure onboarding, digital attestations, verifiable credentials, Caisse des Dépôts, La Poste, Engie, EDF, IN Groupe