Static documents are a thing of the past. Say hello to Twala AI, a revolutionary platform from Twala — a Filipino company pioneering secure and intelligent document solutions. Backed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Twala AI transforms how you interact with, process, and extract value from documents. Imagine a world where files aren’t just static PDFs but dynamic tools you can use intelligently. Well, the future is now.

Pasay City, Philippines – In a significant recognition of its transformative contributions, Twala was honored by the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) on October 30, 2024, at the Sheraton Hotel in Pasay City. The prestigious award acknowledged Twala’s pivotal role in promoting the Ease of Doing Business and delivering more efficient government services across the Philippines. Among the 21 awardees celebrated for their exceptional contributions, Twala stood out as the only non-government agency, underscoring the company’s unique position and impact in supporting ARTA’s mission through private sector innovation.

In 1991, two Bellcore researchers, Stuart Haber and W. Scott Stornetta, were quietly revolutionizing digital trust with their seminal paper “How to Time-Stamp a Digital Document” in the Journal of Cryptology. Their opening words were prophetic: “The prospect of a world in which all text, audio, picture, and video documents are in digital form on easily modifiable media raises the issue of how to certify when a document was created or last changed.” This wasn’t about cryptocurrency — it was about something far more fundamental: How do you prove a digital document existed at a specific moment in time without relying on trust?

Legal operations in the Philippines are evolving, thanks to workflow automation. For years, law firms and legal teams have relied on manual tasks like contract management, document review, and communication. However, the rise of automation is transforming how legal work is done, making processes faster, more accurate, and efficient.

Ensuring legal compliance is crucial for any organization in the Philippines, but maintaining high standards can often come with hefty costs. Legal teams, however, can implement affordable, practical strategies that not only streamline compliance processes but also save time and money.

The legal landscape in the Philippines can be challenging, especially when it comes to ensuring compliance with digital tools like electronic signatures. For businesses and law firms, making sure that digital signatures meet the requirements of the law—specifically the E-Commerce Act and the Rules on Electronic Evidence—can be a time-consuming and complex process. Understanding these requirements is crucial for ensuring that digital signatures are legally valid and admissible in court.

In 2022, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) introduced new rules that allow the use of electronic signatures (e-signatures) for opening bank deposit accounts. This move is part of the BSP’s effort to modernize banking in the Philippines and support the country’s shift toward digital financial services.

The Supreme Court has approved new guidelines for the electronic submission of pleadings, which took effect last April 5, 2024. This initiative, part of the Court's Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations (2022-2027), aims to reduce court congestion and expedite legal processes by shifting to digital filings. The Guidelines are designed to:

The rise of e-commerce in the Philippines has introduced new challenges, particularly the risk of online fraud. As businesses increasingly rely on digital transactions, ensuring secure and trustworthy interactions has become essential. Digital signatures have emerged as a key tool for addressing these concerns, helping to reduce fraud and build trust in the digital economy. By ensuring document integrity and verifying identities, digital signatures enhance security in contracts, payments, and transactions.

Twala, a pioneering DOST-backed startup known for its blockchain-secured digital identity, digital signature, and intelligent document solutions, played a prominent role at the inaugural Advanced Science, Technology, and Innovation Convention (ASTICon) 2024. Held at Novotel Manila in Cubao, Quezon City, the event marked the 37th anniversary of the Department of Science and Technology’s Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) and brought together key figures from industry, government, and the tech sector under the theme “Together, We Can.”

Twala, a startup backed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in the Philippines, has carved a niche for itself in the realm of intelligent document and digital identity technology. The company specializes in providing tamper-proof digital signatures, digital identity solutions, and intelligent document solutions. Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and secured by blockchain technology, Twala’s innovative solutions address critical needs for security and authenticity in the digital age.

THE Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) has announced a strategic partnership with Twala, a digital signature and digital identity startup supported by the Department of Science and Technology through the DoST Startup Grant Fund, to enhance the agency's digitalization strategy.

Twala's Co-founder and CEO, Engr. Jeffrey Reyes, has been recognized as one of the Movers and Shakers in the Philippine Startup Ecosystem on Esquire Philippines Trailblazers List for 2024.

About twenty-five years ago, the Philippine Congress empowered the Supreme Court (SC) to issue rules to allow for electronic notarization in the country. There is reason to be optimistic that the time for e-notarization has finally come.

Twala, a DOST-backed digital signature and digital identity startup, e-signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Senate of the Philippines to help its digitalization efforts. This is the first time the Senate has entered into such an agreement with a Filipino innovative tech-startup.

Pinoy tech startup Twala said businesses can make their processes more efficient by shifting from paper-based documents to digital documents secured by blockchain. Lawyer Third Bagro, co-founder and general counsel of Twala, said by using a blockchain-powered digital identity and digital signature, businesses can also rest assured that their documents are tamper-proof and court-admissible.

The National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO) has concludedits inaugural Billionaire Co-ops' Summit 2023 by signing a landmark 2-year contract worth 2 million pesos with innovative Philippine startup, Twala. This agreement heralds a new stage of financial and social inclusion within the cooperative sector, through digitalization of paper-based workflows.

Twala, a blockchain-powered digital identity, and digital signature platform, recently collaborated with the Philippine Supreme Court to provide inputs in their ongoing work to draft rules to allow electronic notarization in the country.

Twala, a DOST-funded startup in the Philippines providing digital identity and blockchain-based signature solutions, is excited to announce its membership in the Cloud Signature Consortium (CSC), a global organization dedicated to promoting the adoption of cloud-based electronic signatures. As a member of the CSC, Twala will collaborate with industry leaders to develop, enhance, and advocate for secure digital authentication and electronic signature standards.

Twala has partnered with the DOST - Advanced Science andTechnology Institute (DOST-ASTI) to accelerate research and development in the field of Blockchain Technology.

Blockchain startup Twala has received a P4.6 million grant fund from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) — Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) to further help companies power their remote or hybrid work arrangements through its digital signature solution.

PLDT Enterprise inked an MOU with Twala to co-innovate and productize Twala, a blockchain-powered document and digital signature platform.

On July 2, 2020, Disini Law, in partnership with Digital Freedom Network, presented “E-Signature: Are They Legal”, the second episode in the webinar series Digital Transformation Thursdays (DTT).

A blockchain-powered e-signature solution and a leading education technology (edtech) platform won the very first Startup Pitch Competition virtually held by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Philippines (CCIFP) last Feb. 8.

Twala, a tech startup that offers digital transformation of businesses with their legally binding and secure electronic signature platform powered by blockchain technology, got selected as one of the startups that will join the IdeaSpace Philippines Acceleration Program 2021.

IDEASPACE Foundation, the startup support organization behind IdeaSpace and QBO Innovation Hub, announced a new round of investments after closing the ninth cohort of the IdeaSpace acceleration program.

Notarization is to certify or attest to a document by a notary public. A duly notarized document carries with it the presumption of regularity, authenticity, and due execution.

If your startup can pivot toward sustainability, and, at the same time, respond to issues surrounding COVID-19, then the business has a good chance of surviving this pandemic.

The use of electronic signatures in the Philippines remains a vast sea of opportunities that is unexplored by different industries.

The E-Commerce Act of 2000 allows the use of electronic and digital signatures in the Philippines.

As companies embrace new ways of working like remote or hybrid work setups, having a systematic process of saving, retrieving, sharing, and retaining business data is now more important than ever.

They’re an important tool in an effective and efficient contract management process. Curious to see how this tool could revolutionize how you do business?

Pangilinan-led IdeaSpace Foundation has infused P3 million into three startups that capitalize on the shift to digital platforms to address challenges and risks arising from the new normal.

So, you’re finally convinced of the significant cost and productivity benefits that esignatures can bring to your business. But there’s one compelling thought that has been keeping you from giving your green light to adopt the technology – are e-signatures legal in the Philippines?