Cardano Foundation spins out Veridian as an independent digital identity company

The Cardano Foundation is letting one of its projects leave home. On October 8, 2026, at TOKEN2049 in Singapore, the foundation announced that Veridian, its digital identity platform, will operate as an independent commercial company. The spin-out comes with a twist. Veridian’s own shares became the first asset issued under Cardano’s brand-new CIP-0113 programmable token standard, which went live on mainnet only a day earlier. From foundation project to standalone company Veridian spent three years in development inside the Cardano Foundation before getting its own corporate identity. Thomas A. Mayfield takes the CEO role. He previously served as the foundation’s head of decentralized trust and identity. The foundation is not walking away entirely. Frederik Gregaard, CEO of the Cardano Foundation, chairs Veridian’s board. Nicolas Jacquemart, identified as chief legal officer, also sits on the board. What Veridian actually does Veridian focuses on verifiable credentials and authority. Its target users span individuals, organizations, and AI agents. Veridian is built on two open standards, KERI and ACDC, which allow credentials to be verified and revoked in real time without dependin...