The Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) today announces TOPPAN Edge Inc., a group company of TOPPAN Holdings that provides business process, security, and identity solutions to enable secure digital transformation, as the first Japanese Qualified vLEI Issuer (QVI) in the verifiable Legal Entity Identifier (vLEI) ecosystem.
Pioneered by GLEIF as the secure digital counterpart of the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI), the vLEI is a globally standardized form of digital organizational identity. By equipping organizations and their representatives with cryptographically verifiable identities, vLEI credentials offer a comprehensive solution that tackles the challenges arising from digitalization by establishing a global digital trust ecosystem.
As a QVI, TOPPAN Edge will issue and manage vLEI credentials to organizations seeking to increase trust and transparency across a wide range of global manufacturing and finance use-cases, including supply chain management, international trade, and financial transactions involving cryptocurrencies and stablecoins. TOPPAN Edge also plans to expand its offering to provide a Software as a Service (SaaS)-based system to promote broader uptake of the vLEI in Japan.
The service is being piloted in September 2025 by the BRP Consortium Business Site Digital Certification Research and Development Working Group – a private-sector initiative addressing supply chain considerations for semiconductors and ICT equipment. The pilot will explore the use of the vLEI to verify the existence and authenticity of organizations to support the supply chain management of semiconductor business sites.
Alexandre Kech, CEO of GLEIF, said: “Digital, verifiable organizational identity is the key to establishing trust across the global economy. TOPPAN Edge's approval as a QVI will help organizations in the region to unlock sustainable economic growth by addressing real-world challenges, such as increasing transparency and resilience across global value chains, breaking down trade barriers through digitalization, and bridging the gap between traditional finance and digital assets."
Toshiya Akiho, Director and Executive Vice President at TOPPAN Edge, said: "As a QVI, TOPPAN Edge will ensure the authenticity of organizations and the individuals affiliated with them in the digital world, contributing to the realization of a safe and secure international transaction environment."
This announcement follows the news that GLEIF has introduced a global Partners Program to foster adoption of digital organizational identity by enabling collaboration among key industry players. GLEIF has also announced the inaugural vLEI Hackathon to support the ongoing development of the vLEI ecosystem.
For more information on the vLEI, please visit the GLEIF website here.
