The new X9 Financial PKI trust infrastructure, launched by Accredited Standards Committee (ASC X9) and DigiCert, is said to offer an independent alternative to browser-based security across all industries.

The launch of the X9 Financial PKI by ASC X9 and DigiCert was marked by a formal key signing ceremony.

This milestone reportedly activates the X9 root certificate infrastructure and paves the way for issuing digital certificates, for a variety of use cases.  

An increasingly complex trust landscape

The X9 Financial PKI is said to arrive at a critical moment for organisations navigating an increasingly complex trust landscape.

In addition to long-standing interoperability challenges and the looming threat of quantum computing, new browser-driven changes are allegedly accelerating the need for modernisation.

Starting in 2029, major browser manufacturers will allegedly require TLS certificates to be renewed every 47 days – forcing organisations to adopt automation and agility in their certificate management processes.

Meanwhile, Google Chrome has reportedly announced enforcement policies that will stop support for the use of public TLS (web server) certificates for client authentication.   

DigiCert: Beyond legacy dependencies

Steve Stevens, Executive Director, ASC X9 said: “This launch is more than a technical milestone – it’s a signal to the broader industry that digital trust infrastructure must evolve beyond legacy dependencies.

“The X9 Financial PKI will enable organisations across sectors to collaborate securely and confidently, free from the limitations of browser-based certificate models.”

Flexible, policy-driven foundations

Dean Coclin, Senior Director of Digital Trust at DigiCert commented: “The key signing ceremony marks the start of a more secure and interoperable future for organisations that rely on trusted digital communication – from banks and payment providers to healthcare networks, manufacturers and connected infrastructure operators

“Through this partnership, these organisations gain a flexible, policy-driven PKI foundation that simplifies risk management and supports infrastructure modernisation while helping them prepare for quantum-era threats.”

Browser-controlled certificate models

The X9 Financial PKI reportedly addresses longstanding challenges with browser-controlled certificate models, which were allegedly never designed to support complex, non-web use-cases such as payment terminal interoperability on the financial services side or more broadly, on secure device communication and cross-enterprise authentication.

By decoupling from browser trust roots, the X9 infrastructure is said to give organisations autonomy to define policies and trust models tailored to their needs.