VST Enterprises

This article is about the UK cybertech company. For other companies, see VST (disambiguation).

VST Enterprises, Ltd. was a cybertechnology company^[1] based in Manchester and New York^[2] founded by Louis-James Davis.^[3] In 2017 the company was valued at £234 million based on inbound investments.^[4]

It operated in more than 16 countries in which it could use its VCode system to provide secure financial transactions, virtual mobile wallet payments, and secure identification and authentication. It launched a subsidiary in Pakistan in June 2020 with Shaz Sulaman and Ajaz Sulaman.^[5] The VCode is like a circular QR Code.

It had a contract with the Zimbabwe government to use its technology to tackle illegal mining, counterfeiting and issues with border control, as well as introducing identity cards and tax collection for informal businesses. Louis-James Davis was appointed Science & Technology Ambassador for the country by President Emerson Mnangagwa at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.^[6]

In May 2020 it was reported to be in discussions with NHSX and the Home Office about using its VCode technology with the V-Health Passport|url=https://v-health.com |.

In June 2020 Richard Caborn, the former sports minister, reported that the firm was involved in designing the V-Health Passport being considered by ministers and the Premier League to see if the digital passport would allow fans to start coming back to football matches.^[7]

The company went into administration in 2022 after its parent company Davis Co. Holdings, owned by Louis-James Davis withdrew funding.^[8]

In September 2022, the assets of the company were bought by a Davis Co. Holdings subsidiary.^{[citation needed]}

Louis-James Davis is the current CEO of Nova Wallet (a financial technology company) and is continuing to deliver keynote talks on VCode and how it can be used within cyber security, digital identity and financial inclusion globally.^[9]

References

1. "The top 100 tech companies in Greater Manchester 2017". Manchester Evening News. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
2. "vst-enterprises-opens-american-offices-with-senior-appointment". Bdaily News. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
3. "A Double Win For Louis-James Davis – VST Enterprises' CEO Takes Home The Gold At The Made In Manchester Awards 2018". Telegraph. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
4. "VST Enterprises boosted by £11.4m". Manchester Evening News. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
5. "Go FinTech India FinTech Report 2020 Insights into the historical and projected market size of key FinTech categories. Subscribe now NEW REPORTS: India FinTech Report Emerging Technologies in Capital Markets Impact of Brexit on Banking and Fintech – Top 5 Predictions Global FinTech Use Cases in Financial services Digital Lending Landscape in India VST Enterprises launches subsidiary in Pakistan". IBS Intelligence. 3 April 2020. Archived from the original on 5 April 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
6. "VUK CEO named Zimbabwe tech envoy". Bulawayo 24 News. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
7. "Trials poised to start as football moves towards allowing fans back inside grounds". Telegraph. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
8. "Manchester tech firm VST Enterprises - once valued at £220m - enters administration". ProlificNorth. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
9. "CC Forum – Gulf Edition – Advances a Bright Green Future With Dramatic Innovation Across Multiple Sectors". Pacific Rim Chamber of Commerce. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2023.