TACEO launches shared network for finance, identity, AI

TACEO has launched the TACEO Network, a system designed as shared digital rails for finance, identity and AI.

The Austrian startup says the network lets organisations process sensitive identity, biometric and payment functions on shared infrastructure without exposing raw customer data. It is aimed at institutions that want to use common networks for coordination and settlement while keeping confidential processing out of public view and away from any single operator.

The launch comes as financial institutions and fintechs explore shared rails for payments and related services, particularly as stablecoins attract more attention in digital settlement. Identity providers are also examining models that allow checks and verification across broader networks without centralising sensitive information in one environment.

TACEO says the underlying cryptographic infrastructure has already been used in live operations tied to World ID, the proof-of-human system developed within the World project. According to the company, the deployment supports proof-of-human verification for nearly 18 million people across 160 countries.

Live use

The network already supports privacy-sensitive identity functions, including biometric authentication and verification services that run on the network rather than inside isolated client systems. The model is intended to let organisations coordinate across networks while keeping personal data, internal rules and decision-making private.

That addresses a problem many regulated organisations face when adopting shared infrastructure. Payments, identity checks, routing decisions, access controls and fraud controls often still sit within a single institution or provider, even when other parts of the workflow are distributed.

For banks, fintechs and identity groups, that can concentrate risk and increase compliance and operational burdens. TACEO is positioning its network as a layer beneath shared systems where sensitive computation can be carried out privately and then verified.

Applications on the network can use services including private reads and writes to shared ledgers, privacy-preserving identity and biometric checks, and verifiable computation for processes such as KYC and compliance. These services rely on cryptographic protocols that distribute computation across multiple nodes.

Industry backing

The network is run by industry and academic node operators across the US, Europe and Asia. Those cited include blockchain infrastructure group Nethermind and the Czech Technical University in Prague.

"For decades we've had to choose between two models: either sensitive data stays private inside one organisation, or it becomes visible in shared systems," said Lukas Helminger, Co-founder and CEO of TACEO.

He said the network is intended to change that trade-off in distributed systems.

"With the launch of the TACEO Network, that trade-off starts to disappear. Computation can run across independent operators while the data itself stays encrypted. That changes how the next generation of digital infrastructure can be built. Identity systems, financial services, and AI applications can collaborate without handing control of sensitive data to a single party," Helminger said.

World Foundation, which has worked with TACEO on the infrastructure used in World ID, described the development as the result of a multi-year effort in privacy-preserving computation.

"Building systems at global scale is challenging - doing so in a privacy-preserving way even more so. Verifying humanness globally required developing new approaches to privacy-preserving computation," said Philipp Sippl, Director and Head of Engineering at World Foundation.

"Over the past two years, we've been working closely with TACEO to build and deploy the cryptographic infrastructure used in World ID. It's exciting to see this infrastructure open up to a broader ecosystem of applications," Sippl said.

Node operators also framed the network as production infrastructure rather than an academic exercise. Their involvement suggests TACEO is presenting the system as one that can be operated by a distributed set of participants rather than a single company.

"Nethermind operates infrastructure where correctness and reliability are non-negotiable. MPC networks like TACEO's represent serious engineering, and that's the kind of work we want to be running in production," said Mateusz Jędrzejewski, Chief Information Officer at Nethermind.

"As a university, we aim to be actively involved in developing and sharing knowledge about cutting-edge technologies. We also like to bring them into real-world use. Being part of the TACEO node operators is an honor for us and gives us the opportunity to contribute to advancing this technology while tackling complex challenges along the way," said Luboš Harašta of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Czech Technical University in Prague.