Jarek Sygitowicz, Co-Founder of Authologic chats about the evolving KYC and fintech landscape in this Global Fintech Series interview:
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Tell us about Authologic and your journey in fintech.
I’m the Chief Strategy Officer of Authologic, which supports regulated businesses’ transition to digital IDs and modernized KYC methods. As a founder, my journey in fintech began in 2013 when I started ZenCard, a solution that enabled businesses to offer loyalty and rewards programs to customers using their existing payment cards. I’ve worked with my ZenCard co-founders, Krzysztof Klimczak and Marek Rogozinski, for years—they’re now my Authologic co-founders. After ZenCard was acquired in 2017 by PKO BP, the biggest bank in Poland, we moved on to KYC and digital identity within fintech. That brings us to now.
How is AI changing the KYC landscape today?
AI is completely rewriting the rules of the KYC landscape. Calling deepfakes a game changer is almost an understatement. For the first time in KYC history, malicious actors can create entirely convincing and practically undetectable versions of all the IDs we use in KYC. The regulated business space wasn’t entirely prepared for the change. We’re such strong advocates for eIDs because they’re one of the most promising ways to actually outsmart sophisticated deepfakes.
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Can you talk about some of the most interesting global fintech features and innovations impacting fraud, identity management, KYC norms?
Decentralised wallets and zero-knowledge proofs are the most exciting features right now. Zero-knowledge proofs aren’t even futuristic anymore, they’re real and useful. Think of them as proving a fact—this user is over 18, for example—without handing over sensitive information like a specific birthdate. That’s perfect for age gates and similar checks. They won’t replace KYC, because AML rules still require collecting and retaining identity data, but paired with eIDs and wallets they can cut steps and reduce data exposure. Wallets are also going mainstream: Apple and Google now ship ID features and verification APIs, so this “prove, don’t reveal” pattern is moving from pilot to practice.It’s a total shift in how verification even works.
What thoughts do you have surrounding the future of AI and fintech?
I’m a huge advocate for eIDs as it relates to combating AI-based fraud, and we’re already seeing major issuance mandates like the EU’s eIDAS 2.0. Deepfake fraud is bad and getting worse, and eIDs are going to be essential in combatting it. Still it’s important to remember that however fast a country issues eIDs to their citizens, the transition won’t be instant or seamless on the business side. Interoperability is crucial to the transition to better ID verification processes that combat AI fraud. We’re going to see an extended period of eIDs and older KYC methods existing and being accepted side by side before we see a complete paradigm shift.
Five fintech takeaways and thoughts you’d leave our readers with before we wrap up?
- A new generation of identity wallets is upon us. Global change is coming, which will change onboarding, authentication and payments (Strong Customer Authentication) forever.
- One of the new major use cases for identity wallets is payments: account to account (A2A), stablecoins and payment cards. This could potentially impact fintechs in a big way.
- Identity wallets can contain not only ID documents, but also other formal documents like bank account ownership verification, income statements issued by the local tax office, and so on. This can impact onboarding to many financial products by simplifying it.
- Adoption of eIDs via digital wallets will dramatically increase now that Apple and Google have launched their updates supporting passports. Other ID documents are sure to follow.
- The complexity of the eID ecosystem is higher than ever, but thanks to eID Hubs, it’s going to get progressively easier to integrate them and reap the benefits of lower fraud, higher conversion rates, and lower operating costs.
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Authologic is the easiest way for businesses to verify identities using government-issued digital IDs and identity wallets, alongside existing KYC methods. Its secure, unified e-ID verification platform connects multiple systems through a single integration.
As traditional verification methods like plastic IDs and photo uploads become more vulnerable to AI fraud, including deepfakes, Authologic’s platform minimizes these risks, enhances privacy, and builds trust while streamlining onboarding, and lowering operational costs for customers.
Authologic exists to bridge the gap between legacy systems and the future of identity verification. With regulations like eIDAS 2.0 mandating acceptance of e-IDs, Authologic is simplifying compliance by supporting both digital and traditional verification methods. It streamlines KYC and AML processes for sectors such as financial services, gaming, and crypto.
Founded in 2020 by banking and payment veterans Jarek Sygitowicz, Krysztof Klimczak and Marek Rogozinski, Authologic is used over 150,000 times per day. Backed by OpenOcean, Y Combinator, and Peak Capital, the company is headquartered in London, with offices in Warsaw and San Francisco.
Jarek Sygitowicz is the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Authologic, the full-stack global e-ID hub for industries reliant on KYC and AML processes. In 2013 he co-founded ZenCard, which allowed businesses to offer loyalty and rewards programs to customers using their existing payment cards. The company was acquired in 2017 by PKO BP, one of the largest banks in Poland. A longtime entrepreneur, he now serves as co-founder of Authologic, where he oversees strategy, client relations, design, and UX.
