Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Electronic signing in finance transactions: legal validity, execution and witnessing, Mercury signings, fraud controls, international parties, Companies House and HM Land Registry compliance

Published by a LexisNexis Banking & Finance expert

Practice notes

Electronic signature platforms (including DocuSign and Adobe Sign) have reshaped the way commercial documents are executed. Within banking and finance deals, this evolution matters especially for security documents, guarantees and intercreditor agreements, many of which are completed as deeds and depend on strict adherence to statutory formalities. These services operate by enabling their users to upload documents into a secure, cloud-based workspace, from which signatories are sent links to review and sign remotely. Entry commonly requires two-factor authentication, and signatories agree to the platform processing personal data such as email addresses, telephone numbers and IP addresses. When signing is finalised, the platform issues a certificate that provides a digital audit trail of the execution. It sets out who signed the document, their email address, their IP address, any extra steps (such as two-factor authentication) used to verify the identity of the relevant signatory, and the time and date of signing. The move towards electronic signing accelerated sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, when remote working was essential and in-person signing sessions simply could not take place. Notwithstanding their convenience, electronic signature platforms create distinct challenges that must be managed with particular care.

Electronic signing platforms

The main legal framework surrounding electronic...

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Jonathan Grosvenor

Solicitor, Trowers & Hamlins LLP

Jon is a Partner in the Banking and Finance team of Trowers & Hamlins' London office.His practice focuses on all aspects of debt finance, working on a broad range of domestic and cross-border transactions, including senior and mezzanine lending, syndicated structures, real estate investment and development and general corporate lending.Jon has a particular specialism in Islamic finance and capital markets transactions. He focusses on the structuring and documentation of Islamic securities and complex over-the-counter derivatives and repo products for banks and other financial market participants. He has acted for issuers, sponsors, arrangers and other financial institutions on a wide range of Shari'ah-compliant transactions. He has extensive experience of listed and unlisted Sukuk issuances, structured in a variety of Shari'ah-compliant forms, and he has advised on a number of bank and non-bank recapitalisation projects utilising various structures of Sukuk. He has also advised on a number of...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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