CertCo, Inc. Secures $20 Million in Funding From Deutsche Bank AG, Four Partners, Bank One and Cazenove Private Equity.

Business & Technology Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2001

Company Also Announces New Board Members and Aggressive

Launch into European B2B e-Commerce Sector

CertCo, Inc., a leading provider of risk management and security solutions for B2B e-commerce, today announced that it secured $20 million in financing from strategic partners and venture capital investors.

Participants in the financing include original investors Deutsche AG and Four Partners, an entity of the Tisch Family Interests, as well as new investors Bank One, and Cazenove Private Equity, a division of Cazenove & Co. Ltd., one of the UK's leading independent investment banks. The company also appointed the following new members to its board of directors: Thomas Steinberg, president, Tisch Family Interests; Donald Rice, partner, Ravitch, Rice & Co., LLC; and Tyree Miller, executive vice president, head of treasury management, Bank One.

CertCo will use its new financing for working capital, an aggressive customer acquisition campaign and the further expansion of its suite of transaction risk management and PKI-based security technology solutions. In a separate press release today, CertCo also announced stepped-up plans to target the European B2B e-commerce sector with the establishment of a London office, to be headed up by Managing Director Susan Codrington.

CertCo's award-winning CertCo RMX(TM) offering for online exchanges integrates comprehensive financial, business and credit information to enable online exchange members to verify the identities and credit worthiness of their potential trading partners. The company's CertValidator(TM) software allows companies to make real-time digital certificate status information available to their trading partners.

"Risk mitigation is critical to the continued successful growth of business-to-business e-commerce," said Virginia Gambale, managing director, Deutsche Bank AG. "CertCo's solutions address the risk and trust issues inherent in doing business via the Internet, and enable companies to complete high-value, online transactions securely. Deutsche Bank is extremely confident in CertCo's experienced management team, and recognizes the enormous value that the company's suite of services provides to companies seeking first-class risk management and security technology."

"As companies continue to bring their businesses online, security and privacy concerns are becoming increasingly central to their business processes," said June Yee Felix, chairman and CEO of CertCo, Inc. "Since 1996, CertCo has proven itself as an industry leader, bringing together services that help address these risks through PKI, authentication and validation capabilities, to create a foundation for secure e-commerce. With this round of funding, we are fully prepared to deliver value to our customers, partners and investors."

About Deutsche AG

With over EUR940 billion in assets as of December 31, 2000, and 98,000 employees, Deutsche Bank offers its clients unparalleled financial services throughout the world. It ranks among the leaders in asset management, capital markets, corporate finance, custody, cash management and private banking. Deutsche Bank is organized in two customer-oriented Groups: a Corporate and Investment Bank (CIB) and Private Clients and Asset Management (PCAM). The keys to the Bank's success remain constant: customer focus, the spirit of innovation, a broad range of product skills combined with technological power and financial strength delivered by highly skilled professionals.

About Bank One

Bank One Corporation (NYSE: ONE) is the US's fifth-largest bank holding company, with assets of more than $270 billion. Bank One offers a full range of financial services to large corporate and middle market commercial customers and consumers. A major commercial bank in the U.S. and in select international markets, Bank One provides traditional lending, treasury management, investment management, corporate trust, corporate finance, private banking, international and other financial services.

About Cazenove Private Equity

Cazenove Private Equity operates as a separate division of Cazenove & Co. Ltd., with the sole objective of producing superior returns for its investors.

About Cazenove & Co. Ltd.

Cazenove & Co. Ltd. is a leading independent investment bank that provides corporate finance advice, distributes securities and research and manages funds on behalf of a wide range of clients worldwide. Cazenove Venture Finance Advisory Unit was retained to arrange European financing for the company.

About CertCo(R), Inc.

Founded in 1996, CertCo, Inc. is a leading provider of risk management and security infrastructure solutions for B2B e-commerce. CertCo provides corporations, financial institutions, online exchanges and governments with business solutions that enable them to safely conduct global, high-value transactions over open networks - effectively removing the "last hurdle" in end-to-end B2B e-commerce. The company offers a full suite of risk management and security services that leverages its thorough understanding and experience with business process, legal, technology and cryptography issues, as well as its deep and long-standing relationships with insurance and financial service providers. Based in New York and privately held, CertCo also operates a research and development office in Cambridge, Mass and a European subsidiary based in London. More information is available at www.certco.com.

Copyright (c) 2001 CertCo, Inc., 55 Broad Street New York, NY 10004 U.S.A. All rights reserved. CertCo, its logo, CertCo RMX, CertAuthority, CertValidator, and/or other CertCo products referenced herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of CertCo Inc. All other company and/or product names are the property of their respective owners.