The PASS Alliance

Fast-tracking trust in a digitally connected world

Our digital future

In an increasingly interconnected world, digital transactions are rapidly replacing traditional ones.

Cross-border payments

Financial transactions across borders require secure digital identity verification

Health records

Medical information sharing demands trusted digital profiles

Academic credentials

Educational verification relies on authenticated digital identities

Locating and trusting an individual's digital profile will be the essential first step for every digital transaction worldwide.

Our vision

Enable instant connection and fast-track trust for any digital transaction in the world

Current digital service landscape: fragmentation, friction and exclusion

Fragmented markets

Limited interoperability between providers make it challenging to locate and share customer data.

Proxies help ease friction domestically, but not across providers or across borders.

High costs of siloed identity

Hard for providers to verify identify, costly to trust

Increases costs for service providers

Limits access for users unable to meet high barriers to entry

Lack of data privacy

For individuals, private data is spread across several honey pots

Lack of ownership, with no ability to leverage previous "trust credit"

Proxy Addressing System Service (PASS)

Governed by the PASS Alliance, PASS is an interoperable, secure, global network of digital systems designed to expedite the lookup and verification of any digital profile in the world.

  • Faster look-up: leverages "smart proxies" to facilitate look-up of individuals across systems and streamline the convoluted and complicated routing of disconnected systems
  • Portable trust: establishes a "trust network" where members can provide trust attestations other members can leverage to fast-track KYC and streamline compliance
  • Enhanced privacy: Full authority over personal identity and data sharing, with granular permissions
  • Broad application: will transform cross-border payments, healthcare, education, and the future of any digital service worldwide

First use-case: cross-border payments

2.2%

Cost savings

Digital transfers are cheaper
than cash-based transfers

↑

Complexity

Digital methods currently
require more steps than cash

↓

Simplification

Proxies can streamline
the digital experience


While sending cash remains the easiest option for many, it comes at a premium cost. The challenge lies in simplifying digital transfers to match the convenience of cash-based alternatives.

By leveraging popular domestic proxy systems, we can create a more intuitive cross-border payment experience that maintains the cost advantages of digital solutions while eliminating unnecessary complexity.

Integrating trust seamlessly into proxies

Standard Proxy

Proxy identifiers link transaction accounts to simple, memorable identifiers, enabling seamless payments without requiring bank details when initiating transfers or scanning QR codes.

Offers basic addressing with limited capabilities beyond resolution.

Smart Proxy

A novel mechanism connecting proxies to digital wallets, overcoming limitations of traditional proxies which point to one piece of data.

Enables several uses cases: payments, age verification, proof of residence, and sharing of sensitive data (health records, etc).

Facilitates conditional routing based on trust parameters and user preferences.

Trust needs a common language

Trust evolution

Need to modernise
existing trust mechanisms

Digital attestations

LEIs can digitise institutional trust

Unified protocol

Must connect disparate
trust sources

DNS for your data

PASS aims to create
a trust standard

Building a unique, secure trust framework

Identity components

Phone number, SIM ID, Device ID, Biometrics

One-way hash

Generates unique ZKP blob

User wallet

User-controlled storage

Recovery options

Via biometrics or seed phrases

Key features

Distributed immutable identification service that provides a user complete control over their identity and data

Immutable identification

Making your existing digital identity tamper-proof using network effects

Hack-proof security

Data storage is fragmented across the network — distribute pixels: only your biometric can recreate

Complete user control

Full authority over personal identity and data sharing, with granular permission settings

The trust score framework

Attestations

PASS members (issuers) issue digitally signed verifications
(telcos, corporates, banks, tax authorities, etc.)

Trust blocks

Score + issuer (LEI) + ZKP-linked blob

Selective disclosure

Users control trust history disclosure

Global rating

Like eBay rating but cryptographically secure

From fragmented trust to a global trust network

It's like the early days of email. At first, it didn't seem different from a fax. But over time, it changed everything.

Protocol layer

Building foundation for trust

Global reach

Connecting all end-points

Seamless experience

Making trusted data portability as easy as messaging

Our solution is open-source

And integrates best-in-class open-source technologies to create a unified trust framework:

Identity & Credentials

W3C Verifiable Credentials, DIDs, SpruceID, and Hyperledger Aries provide the foundation for portable digital identities.

Security & Privacy

Zero-knowledge systems (zkSync, Semaphore) and OpenZeppelin's smart contracts ensure tamper-proof, private attestations.

Infrastructure & Integration

IPFS, OAuth 2.0/OIDC, FAPI, Kubernetes, and Terraform enable secure, scalable deployment and interoperability.

By leveraging these open-source technologies, PASS creates a decentralized yet cohesive ecosystem where trust can flow seamlessly across organizations, borders, and use cases.

The competitive landscape

Current landscape

Siloed initiatives limited to banking only

Cross-industry integration

One proxy for health, travel, finance, and beyond

Unified global standard

PASS creates an open protocol like SMTP for email (interoperability and participation for all providers without discrimination)

Today's private sector initiatives remain isolated and non-interoperable, focusing solely on banking connections. PASS offers a decentralized standard allowing anyone to participate across multiple Industries, e.g. Health care, Travel, etc.

What if we don't do this?

Continued fragmentation

Digital payment services remain isolated islands.

Corporate control

Users trapped in closed ecosystems without ownership.

Limited interoperability

Like an internet where Gmail users can't email other email addresses.

Popular services like Venmo and PayPal serve millions but function as closed systems. This creates artificial barriers to global financial inclusion. Without an open protocol, even large private initiatives will maintain corporate control over user identities and limit true interoperability.

The PASS Alliance team

Arunjay Katakam

Fintech entrepreneur with 15+ years leading inclusive finance initiatives globally (ex-UNCDF, GSMA). Author of The Power of Micro Money Transfers and Generation Hope. Led UNCDF team as G20 TechSprint finalists in 2023

David Lemmens

20+ years in financial technology, specializing in cybersecurity, identity, and payments architecture. Former SWIFT global head of API, identity and security, and Deutsche Bank executive

June Shin McCarthy

15+ years shaping policy and regulatory environments to advance digital infrastructure for inclusive growth, including digital ID. Former advisor at Tony Blair Institute and Meta.

Baltazar Rodriguez

Technology strategist and digital transformation leader with 20+ years experience driving innovation in financial services. Former IBM executive and regional CTO for Latin America and Advisor BIS Innovation Hub

Our leadership team brings together comprehensive expertise in digital trust, interoperability, open finance, and regulatory frameworks—essential elements for building a global trusted data protocol.

The PASS Alliance

A non-profit governance body overseeing the PASS network, establishing global standards for digital trust.

Similar to how:

  • ICANN manages the Domain Name System,
  • GLEIF manages the Legal Entity Identifier,
  • FIDO manages authentication standards, etc.

Join the PASS Alliance

1

Become a founding member

Get in at ground zero and lead the global revolution

2

Shape the framework

Help develop the core PASS service layer and standards

3

Shape priority use cases

Payments, age verification,
address verification, etc.

4

Leverage the benefits

Improve efficiency and reduce costs while supporting inclusion globally

A future of trusted, open data

Together, we make digital trust programmable, portable, and people-powered