The Rise of Digital Workflows in Fintech 

Fintech has fundamentally altered how we think about finance. From mobile-first banking to blockchain-based settlements, the sector has relentlessly pursued speed, scalability, and automation. But while many focus on front-end innovation, there’s a quiet revolution happening in the backend — the rise of workflow automation. 

Every interaction — whether onboarding a new user, securing regulatory approvals, or executing a high-stakes partnership agreement — begins and ends with documentation. Traditional methods simply can’t keep up. Manual signatures, email-based approvals, or disjointed systems add delays, increase risk, and chip away at the seamless experiences fintech companies aim to deliver. 

That’s why the need for digital signatures emerged. But we’ve reached a point where signature alone is no longer the differentiator. The market demands platforms that don’t just digitize signatures but also streamline the surrounding processes. From intake to routing, approval, and archiving — the future lies in workflow-native digital platforms that can handle the complexity fintech brings. 

Unfortunately, many providers in this space are still operating with outdated assumptions. They offer basic eSign capabilities but lack the infrastructure for modern financial operations. As fintech continues to scale, firms need more than a checkbox for compliance — they need intelligent, secure, and efficient systems of agreement. 

Why Signature-Only Platforms Can’t Keep Up 

The early pioneers of the eSign category brought valuable innovation at a time when digital transformation was in its infancy. They replaced pen-and-paper processes with a browser-based signature pad, introduced digital certificates, and simplified document sending. However, the fintech sector of today is facing a vastly different challenge. 

Fintech firms are expected to execute agreements instantly, route documents through multiple teams, stay compliant across jurisdictions, and ensure airtight audit trails — all without slowing down the user journey. This level of operational complexity simply cannot be solved with signature-only tools. 

Take for instance a digital lending platform operating across North America and Southeast Asia. Loan origination involves multiple documents, KYC forms, customer disclosures, internal legal reviews, and compliance checkpoints. Signature-only platforms might cover the final step, but they lack the ability to manage the entire approval flow — which results in cobbled-together workarounds involving spreadsheets, emails, or custom code. 

Moreover, the performance ceiling of many of these tools is surprisingly low. Document size limits (sometimes capped at 25MB), rigid template systems, and lack of real-time collaboration features make it difficult for high-velocity fintech companies to operate efficiently. The hidden costs of these limitations often appear in the form of delays, errors, compliance gaps, and lost opportunities. 

This has created a significant gap in the market — one that demands a solution purpose-built for financial technology. A platform that understands the regulatory environment, scales to high-volume needs, and integrates deeply with mission-critical systems. That is exactly the gap Certinal addresses. 

Modern Fintech Needs: Beyond the Basics 

What does a modern fintech company actually require from a digital agreement solution? It’s more than just the ability to collect a signature. Today’s needs are multi-dimensional — legal, operational, technical, and regulatory — and they’re growing more complex by the quarter. 

To start, there’s the need for multi-party workflows. In many fintech agreements, especially those involving institutional partners, multiple departments, external reviewers, and regional teams must be included. Static, linear signature flows can’t support this. Teams need dynamic routing, conditional steps, parallel sign-offs, and fallback logic — all native to the platform, not handled through manual coordination. 

File sizes are another often overlooked issue. Regulatory documents, compliance attachments, technical annexes — these can quickly exceed 25MB. Many traditional tools either reject large files or slow down dramatically. Certinal’s support for files over 100MB ensures that large volumes of data don’t become a bottleneck. 

Then there’s compliance. Fintech operates under a global lens. Whether it’s GDPR in Europe, CCPA in California, or sector-specific regulations in emerging markets, digital agreement tools must meet diverse compliance needs. Certinal is compliant in over 70 countries, giving fintech companies confidence to operate across borders without additional risk or retrofitting. 

Security and auditability are just as critical. Fintech isn’t just fast-paced — it’s high-stakes. Any lapse in document control, versioning, or signer authentication could lead to regulatory fines, brand damage, or operational losses. Platforms must offer built-in encryption, detailed audit logs, tamper-proof records, and role-based access controls. These can’t be optional add-ons; they must be foundational capabilities. 

Finally, there’s integration. Fintech stacks are increasingly modular and cloud-native. Agreement platforms must integrate with CRMs, ERPs, KYC systems, and internal analytics tools. Certinal offers out-of-the-box integrations and APIs that make embedding workflows into existing systems straightforward, saving engineering resources and accelerating deployment. 

Certinal: Built for Speed, Compliance, and Scale 

Certinal is not just a tool for signing documents. It is a workflow-first digital agreement platform designed from the ground up for the needs of high-growth, regulated industries like fintech. 

Where many legacy tools offer simple signature features and charge extra for each added capability, Certinal provides a comprehensive feature set out-of-the-box. This includes: 

• Multi-party, dynamic workflows that mirror real-world processes 

• Support for large file sizes, handling documents well above 100MB 

• Global compliance coverage across 70+ regulatory environments 

• Robust security framework with built-in encryption, audit trails, and access controls 

• Flexible APIs and prebuilt integrations to embed workflows where you need them 

From a cost perspective, Certinal offers exceptional value. On average, customers find it to be 50% more cost-effective than legacy platforms, without the layers of hidden charges often found in tiered pricing models. Instead of charging separately for document volume, storage, integrations, or advanced features, Certinal offers transparent, scalable pricing designed for fintech growth. 

This matters, especially when evaluating the real cost of ownership of traditional tools. Many fintech leaders discover only after implementation that they must purchase add-ons for advanced workflows, pay extra for high document volumes, or spend engineering time building integrations. Certinal’s unified approach eliminates those surprises. 

Certinal also carries the industry’s strongest trust signals. It holds a 4.4-star rating on Gartner Peer Insights, is the only eSignature vendor with a Gartner Customer First badge, and boasts an NPS of 81.29, the highest in the category. It is also recognized by IDC as a market leader, providing third-party validation of its capabilities. 

As fintech companies look to scale securely, reduce risk, and streamline operations, tools like Certinal are no longer optional — they are foundational. The future of digital agreements lies not in isolated signature tools, but in platforms that bring together signature, workflow, compliance, and integration into one seamless system. 

Enterprise-Grade Workflow Capabilities that Actually Matter 

For fintech companies, speed is essential — but not at the expense of accuracy, control, or compliance. That’s why workflows matter just as much as the final signature. Fintech teams must manage approvals that span departments, integrate conditional logic, accommodate multiple reviewers, and meet complex timing requirements. Certinal enables these workflows without the patchwork of additional tools. 

Out of the box, Certinal supports: 

• Role-based routing: Different parties — legal, compliance, operations — can review or sign based on logic, not just order. 

• Parallel approvals: Teams can act simultaneously where appropriate, reducing turnaround time. 

• Conditional paths: Set rules to redirect or pause flows based on form data or document type. 

• Workflow templates: Replicate repeatable processes (e.g., vendor onboarding, credit approvals) without recreating logic every time. 

Most legacy eSign tools offer static, linear flows. Once you introduce alternate signers, fallbacks, or multi-department sign-off chains, their simplicity becomes a constraint. Certinal was built for the operational complexity of industries like fintech, where agreements aren’t linear and approvals can’t wait. 

These capabilities not only boost efficiency but also reduce risk — by eliminating manual steps, automating compliance checks, and ensuring the right eyes are on the right documents at the right time. 

True Cost of Ownership: What Legacy Tools Don’t Tell You 

When evaluating eSignature solutions, many fintech companies initially focus on subscription plans and per-user pricing. But the real cost of ownership extends well beyond the base fee — and this is where legacy platforms like DocuSign and Adobe Sign often fall short. 

Their pricing models may appear competitive at first glance, but once you scale operations, hidden expenses begin to surface. These often include additional charges for sending over a certain number of documents, using advanced workflow features, integrating with third-party systems, or accessing dedicated support tiers. Many companies only realize these limitations after implementation, when upgrades become unavoidable. 

To get a clearer picture, it’s worth reviewing the true cost structure behind Adobe’s plans. What seems like a simple flat-rate offering can quickly become expensive once advanced functionality is required. Similarly, a breakdown of what you really pay for with tools like DocuSign reveals that core fintech capabilities — like multi-party routing, compliance automation, and large file support — may be locked behind enterprise-level pricing. 

Fintech companies that conduct a side-by-side comparisonof Docusign vs Adobe Sign often discover that both platforms are fundamentally designed around static eSign needs — not workflow depth or scalability. This results in fragmented user experiences, siloed processes, and ultimately, higher operational costs. 

That’s where Certinal stands apart. With transparent pricing that includes advanced features out-of-the-box, Certinal helps fintechs eliminate the stacking of licenses, modules, and surprise overages. There are no caps on critical usage metrics, no extra charges for workflow logic, and no fine print to decode. 

For fintech firms actively exploring modern alternatives to Adobe Sign, Certinal offers a purpose-built solution that aligns with how digital financial services operate — fast, compliant, and at scale. You’re not just getting an eSignature tool; you’re investing in a comprehensive platform that simplifies operations without inflating your budget. 

What Fintech Leaders Are Saying: Trust Signals That Matter 

When evaluating eSignature platforms, features and pricing are critical — but proof matters just as much. Fintech firms operate in high-stakes environments, where mistakes can result in regulatory fines, customer churn, or reputational damage. That’s why trust signals are essential. 

Certinal isn’t just a new name in the space — it’s a recognized leader, backed by third-party validation and outstanding customer satisfaction scores. 

• Gartner Peer Insights Rating: 4.4/5 — based on verified enterprise customer feedback 

• Gartner Customer First Badge — Certinal is the only eSign platform with this distinction 

• NPS of 81.29 — the highest Net Promoter Score in the industry 

• IDC Market Leader Recognition — Certinal is listed as a top provider in IDC assessments 

Fintech leaders choose Certinal not just for its features, but for its ability to deliver at scale, across geographies, and under regulatory scrutiny. Customers cite the platform’s uptime reliability, responsive support, and seamless integrations as reasons for staying — and expanding — over time. 

In a market crowded with point solutions and patchwork tools, these trust indicators separate Certinal as a vendor you can rely on. 

Making the Switch: What to Expect with Certinal 

Switching agreement platforms might seem like a heavy lift — especially for fintechs already using a legacy eSignature provider. But Certinal was designed with migration and onboarding simplicity in mind. 

Here’s what the transition typically looks like: 

• Step 1: Needs Analysis — Certinal’s team works with your stakeholders to assess document types, workflows, compliance needs, and integrations. 

• Step 2: Seamless Migration — Existing templates, user roles, and document libraries can be migrated into Certinal’s platform with minimal disruption. 

• Step 3: Integration Setup — Plug-and-play connectors or custom APIs are deployed to connect with your systems (CRM, ERP, KYC, etc.). 

• Step 4: Training and Support — Teams are onboarded with documentation, live support, and help desk access to speed up time-to-value. 

In most cases, fintech teams can go live in under two weeks. This is possible because Certinal is built to integrate — not replace systems — and to work with your existing workflows rather than forcing a redesign. 

And because Certinal includes full workflow and compliance functionality out-of-the-box, there’s no need to wait for add-on licenses or custom development to achieve basic functionality. 

Fintech companies that have made the switch report faster deal cycles, reduced operating costs, and improved internal collaboration — without the legacy tool bloat they were previously dealing with. 

Conclusion: A Platform Purpose-Built for Fintech Growth 

The fintech sector doesn’t operate like traditional businesses — and it shouldn’t settle for traditional tools. In a landscape defined by agility, global reach, and regulatory oversight, fintech companies need agreement platforms that go far beyond eSignatures. 

Legacy tools may have been sufficient when digitization was a novelty. But today, the real differentiator is workflow intelligence, cost transparency, and compliance at scale. 

Certinal delivers all of this — and more — in a single, modern platform built for the pace of fintech. 

For organizations evaluating emerging alternatives to traditional eSignature providers, the message is clear: the time to upgrade isn’t tomorrow — it’s now. 

Book a demo today and see how Certinal can transform your digital agreement workflows.