What is a Signing Key and how does it empower investors?

By Vanessa Malone

In today’s digital economy, accessibility and security are paramount for investors managing their portfolios. Upstream, a MERJ Exchange market and stock trading app, leverages Signing Key technology to give investors complete control over their assets right from the palm of their hands. Here’s how it works and why it’s a game-changer for secure asset management.

What is a Signing Key?

A Signing Key is a unique cryptographic tool that acts as your personal digital signature. It’s used to authorize transactions, access your account, and verify ownership of your assets on Upstream’s blockchain-powered trading platform. Think of it as a highly secure key that only you can use to unlock your financial activities. To make things easy, we make this Signing Key unlockable using your biometrics. This is enacted every time you make a financial transaction including a buy, sell, bid, auction, or funds withdrawal on Upstream.

How does Upstream protect my Signing Key?

Your Signing Key stores a password-protected file that contains your blockchain public and private key which together makes a key pair. Upstream will never know your private key. This statement is a cornerstone of blockchain’s decentralization philosophy, pointing to “not your keys, not your coins.” In the context of stock trading, this means that only you have access to your private key, ensuring that your equities and stocks remain entirely under your control. Even in the unlikely event that a firm were to go under, your assets would remain secure and accessible in this system, without the delays or complications often associated with traditional systems.

How do I backup my Signing Key on Upstream?

When signing up on the Upstream app, you will be required to back-up your Signing Key to the cloud as part of the account creation process. It’s critical that you export a copy of your Signing Key to a safe place. This way if you lose your device or forget your password, you’ll be able to recover your securities and Collectibles using your private key.

You can also make a back-up of your app’s Signing Key at any time by going to the tapping the profile icon tapping “Manage Signing Key” and tapping the “Export Signing Key” button. You will be prompted for your biometric verification or the Keystore password. Upon successful verification you will be prompted to select a destination for your Keystore (such as Mail, Notes etc.). Note, the Keystore, when exported, remains password protected and is useless to anyone that does not know your password.

Some ways your Signing Key is protected:

  • Stored Securely on Your Phone: The Signing Key is encrypted and stored locally on your mobile device. This ensures it is not exposed to third-party risks, such as centralized servers or cloud-based vulnerabilities.
  • Protected by Biometric Authentication: Access to your Signing Key is gated by advanced biometric security, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, making it nearly impossible for unauthorized users to gain access.
  • Reinforced by Blockchain Technology: Every transaction authorized by your Signing Key is timestamped and recorded on the blockchain, ensuring transparency and immutability.

Why is this important for investors?

By using Upstream’s Signing Key, investors gain:

  • Full Control Over Assets: You, and only you, can authorize trades or transfers. This empowers investors to manage their assets while reducing the risk of unauthorized activity.
  • Enhanced Security: Local storage and biometric authentication create a robust defense against potential threats.
  • Convenience: Manage your portfolio anytime, anywhere, directly from your phone.

A new era of investor empowerment

We believe Upstream’s Signing Key technology represents the next generation of trading, a next step in empowering investors to take greater control of their assets. 

Ready to experience the future of trading? Issuers interested in listing on Upstream can get started here. Investors (non-U.S.) can download Upstream on iOS or Android.

U.S. persons may not deposit, buy, or sell securities on Upstream. Anyone may buy and sell Collectibles on Upstream.

This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell securities or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction where such offer or solicitation is not permitted. Collectibles have no royalties, equity ownership, or dividends. Collectibles are for utility, collection, redemption, or display purposes only. Anyone may buy and sell Collectibles on Upstream. All orders for sale are non-solicited by Upstream and a user’s decision to trade securities must be based on their own investment judgment.

Upstream is a MERJ Exchange market. MERJ Exchange is a licensed Securities Exchange, an affiliate of the World Federation of Exchanges, a National Numbering Agency, and a member of ANNA. MERJ is regulated in the Seychelles by the Financial Services Authority, https://fsaseychelles.sc/, an associate member of the International Association of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). MERJ supports global issuers of traditional and digital securities through the entire asset life cycle from issuance to trading, clearing, settlement, and registry. It operates a fair and transparent marketplace in line with international best practices and principles of operations of financial markets. Upstream does not endorse or recommend any public or private securities bought or sold on its app. Upstream does not offer investment advice or recommendations of any kind. All services offered by Upstream are intended for self-directed clients who make their own investment decisions without aid or assistance from Upstream. All customers are subject to the rules and regulations of their jurisdiction. By accessing the site or app, you agree to be bound by its terms of use and privacy policy. Company and security listings on Upstream are only suitable for investors who are familiar with and willing to accept the high risk associated with speculative investments, often in early and development-stage companies. U.S. persons may not deposit, buy, or sell securities on Upstream. There can be no assurance the valuation of any particular company’s securities is accurate or in agreement with the market or industry comparative valuations. Investors must be able to afford market volatility and afford the loss of their investment. Companies listed on Upstream are subject to significant ongoing corporate obligations including, but not limited to disclosure, filings, and notification requirements, as well as compliance with applicable quantitative and qualitative listing standards.

Collectible products are akin to a digital sticker of an underlying artwork and should not be considered a financial investment; a security token, an e-money token, or a form of digital currency. Collectibles should not, therefore, be purchased by anyone seeking financial gain or with an expectation to profit from the purchase, ownership in the entity, dividends or distributions, sale or resale of a Collectible. By buying a Collectible, you agree that you are not doing so for investment purposes or for the purposes of obtaining a security or an appreciating asset. You understand that the benefit you receive for buying a Collectible is limited to supporting athletes, celebrities and other brands. You also acknowledge that ownership of a Collectible does not carry with it any rights, express or implied, including (without limitation) copyright, trademarks or other intellectual property or proprietary rights in and to the underlying artwork. The copyright to the digital artwork remains with the copyright holder.

Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains “forward-looking statements.” Such statements may be preceded by the words “intends,” “may,” “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “estimates,” “aims,” “believes,” “hopes,” “potential,” or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions, and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, and cannot be predicted or quantified, and, consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) difficulties in obtaining financing on commercially reasonable terms; (ii) changes in the size and nature of our competition; (iii) loss of one or more key executives or brand ambassadors; and (iv) changes in legal or regulatory requirements in the markets in which we operate. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.