Avast Announces Acquisition of SecureKey Technologies

LSE-listed technology firm, Avast announced today that the company has decided to acquire SecureKey Technologies, a blockchain-based digital identity, and authentication firm.

Headquartered in Canada, SecureKey is the company behind Verified.me. The firm offers a broad range of services to ease consumer access to secure online services and applications, such as financial account opening.

Avast is an FTSE 100 company. With more than 435 million users, Avast is one of the biggest players in digital security and privacy. The acquisition deal between Avast and SecureKey is expected to close in early April 2022.

"We envisage a global and reusable digital identity framework which will underpin a new trust layer for the internet," said Ondrej Vlcek, the CEO of Avast. "It's clear that digital identity is the critical enabler for many digital services and SecureKey's success reflects the growing demand for this from consumers. SecureKey is highly complementary to Avast's prior work in Identity and together we will take our offer to the next level, accelerating innovation and working to establish a user-focused, global approach that aligns user, business and government propositions."

Blockchain Technology

The use of blockchain technology across different sectors has increased substantially since the start of 2021. Additionally, the digital identity and authentication sector saw a rise in the adoption of blockchain technology for efficient and secure solutions. According to Greg Wolfond, the CEO of SecureKey, the company has collaborated with several leading financial institutions and businesses.

"SecureKey's vision has been to revolutionize the way consumers and organizations approach identity and the sharing of personal information in the digital age. By working closely with governments, financial institutions, and businesses, we have an established track record of trusted and mature identity networks that provide consumers with the secure digital capabilities they deserve. Combining forces with Avast enables us to innovate further and faster with our technology as we together look to build a more trustworthy future for all internet users,” Wolfond said.