UK aviation security firm Zamna has raised $5m in its latest funding round for its blockchain-powered passenger verification platform.
Zamna, formerly known as VChain Technology, stores passenger identity data on its blockchain network. Airlines, governments and security agencies can access this information during the airport security process, rather than relying on their own siloed data.
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In doing so, Zamna aims to speed up the airport security process by reducing the need for manual ID checks by up to 90%.
Because passenger data is stored on a distributed, immutable blockchain network, Zamna says stakeholders can trust the data as being accurate.
The platform uses cryptographic principles to securely validate passenger information and ensure stakeholders only access the relevant data.
The funding round was led by investment from LocalGlobe and Oxford Capital. Seedcamp, Telefonica and International Airlines Group (IAG) also contributed.
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By GlobalDataIAG, which invested in a previous round, has also become Zamna’s first commercial client.
The London-based firm has also partnered with Emirates Airline and immigration authorities in the United Arab Emirates for passenger verifications.
Zamna plans to boost rollout of airport blockchain solution
The latest funding will be used to boost the roll-out Zamna’s biographic and biometric data validation platform, known as the Advance Passenger Information platform.
Irra Ariella Khi, co-founder and CEO of Zamna, said: “We know that currently airlines are not able to meet the legal requirement of providing accurate data to governments around the world. Both parties have to spend a huge amount of time and resource at the end of a journey to confirm if a passenger should be allowed into a country, or sent back if access is denied.
“In 2019, these decisions should be securely automated and informed by high integrity data – long before the journey even begins. For airport security to successfully become frictionless through biometric capabilities, the first step is to have access to 100% accurate and trustworthy passenger data.
“Zamna is delivering on this – built on a ‘privacy by design’ framework, it ensures that airlines and governments get accurate, trustworthy data in advance of a passenger travelling, enabling the traveller can get through the airport without multiple identity checks.”
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