International Relationships
Our industry-led approach, which is free from undue government influence, makes tScheme attractive as an approval body for providers based in other countries. These include member states of the European Union. tScheme originally operated as a voluntary accreditation scheme for TSPs, as recognised by Article 3(2) and 7(1)(a) of the European Directive 1999/93/EC. This Directive has now been replaced by the eIDAS Regulation (No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market).
Many trust service providers operate internationally. Likewise, web-based criminal activity frequently crosses national borders. tScheme works to increase consumer trust in cross-border transactions.
tScheme accepts standards mandated by other bodies into its own Approval Profiles. We work with equivalent organisations across Europe and elsewhere with a view to extending co-operation and mutual recognition. As we Approve services from organisations who operate internationally, our process and standards are as rigorous as those in any country where tScheme Approved services will operate.