Itsme acquires the Leuven-based company NextAuth, a spin-off from KU Leuven and Imec that specializes in multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Identity app Itsme expands its offerings by acquiring NextAuth. At the same time, Itsme would like to use the new technology to strengthen its own end-to-end authentication process. Known for its advanced cryptography as a secure method of authentication, NextAuth is a spin-off from KU Leuven and Imec.

Thanks to the acquisition of NextAuth, Itsme also expands its services to partners and customers looking for authentication solutions that can be embedded into their own applications. This applies, for example, to biometric and passwordless mobile multi-factor authentication (MFA), which is integrated into banking applications.

Jens Hermans, CEO of NextAuth: “We often receive questions about the difference between NextAuth and Itsme. Our answer was that the Itsme app is the ideal customer for the technology we developed. The fact that we can now actually give wings to our solution through this collaboration is fantastic news.”

According to Stephanie De Bruyne, CEO of Itsme, both companies have the same goal, which is to ensure that all citizens can log in and sign documents in a safe and easy way. “Cybersecurity has been a priority for both companies from day one. Therefore, this merger is a logical step.”

The COmputer Security & Industrial Cryptography (COSIC) research group led by Professor Bart Preneel has earned an international reputation in the field of cryptography. “I am therefore very pleased that the technology developed in this team will now find a much broader application through collaboration with Itsme.”