--- title: Replacement of the FEA Question Challenge description: "Starting **August 20, 2026 (11:00 PM, Chile time)**, the identity verification step used to issue Advanced Electronic Signature (FEA) certificates changes: the traditional **question challenge** is formally replaced by a **digital verification based on a bank transfer**. This article explains…" url: "https://legale.io/docs/replacement-of-the-fea-question-challenge/" updated: "2026-09-02" category: Advanced remote signature --- # Replacement of the FEA Question Challenge Starting **August 20, 2026 (11:00 PM, Chile time)**, the identity verification step used to issue Advanced Electronic Signature (FEA) certificates changes: the traditional **question challenge** is formally replaced by a **digital verification based on a bank transfer**. This article explains why the change was made, how the new mechanism works, and its legal and data-protection implications. The official communications from E-SIGN S.A. (the accredited Certification Service Provider behind Legale.io’s advanced remote signature) are available for download at the end of this article as supporting evidence. ## 1. Why the question challenge was replaced During the **2025 Annual Ordinary Inspection** of E-SIGN carried out by the Accrediting Entity (which reports to the Undersecretariat of Economy and Smaller-Sized Companies, *Subsecretaría de Economía y Empresas de Menor Tamaño*), the regulator recommended reinforcing the process of **reliable identity verification** for the issuance of FEA certificates. Specifically, it recommended strengthening the complementary mechanisms used together with **ClaveÚnica** to validate the applicant’s identity, in order to: - Mitigate fraud risks (question challenges rely on personal data that can be leaked or guessed); - Raise the overall security and traceability standards of the enrollment process; and - Ensure strict regulatory compliance. In response to this requirement, and in accordance with **Article 3 of Decree No. 24 (April 9, 2019) of the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism**, E-SIGN implemented a new digital identity verification mechanism based on a bank transfer, which formally replaces the question challenge. ## 2. What changes in practice - **New mechanism:** digital identity verification through a bank transfer. - **Substitution:** this method formally replaces the question challenge as the complementary verification used alongside ClaveÚnica. - **Objective:** maximize security standards, mitigate fraud risks, and strengthen operational and regulatory traceability. - **Deadline for the change:** August 20, 2026, 11:00 PM (Chile time). ## 3. How the bank transfer verification works The verification is performed through a bank transfer that the applicant makes **directly from their own bank’s website or application**. **Khipu S.A.** acts exclusively as the technology provider that confirms, against real banking information, that the transfer matches the generated charge, and notifies E-SIGN of the result of that validation through an API. Khipu does not take part in the internal, accounting, or financial reconciliation processes of either the applicant or E-SIGN. The refund of the transferred amount will be made by the banking entity within 24 to 48 hours. ## 4. Legal implications and regulatory backing The mechanism is fully backed at the regulatory level: - E-SIGN is an accredited Certification Service Provider under **Law No. 19,799** on Electronic Documents, Electronic Signatures, and Certification Services. - The use of a bank transfer as a complementary method to verify the applicant’s identity for the issuance of FEA certificates was **expressly validated by the Undersecretariat of Economy and Smaller-Sized Companies**, the Accrediting Entity of the Advanced Electronic Signature system, in a formal communication to E-SIGN. - That communication states that the procedure complies with **Article 3 of Decree No. 24 of April 9, 2019**, and is therefore fit to operate as a complementary digital identity verification mechanism. This means certificates issued under the new mechanism keep the full legal validity and evidentiary weight that Chilean law grants to the Advanced Electronic Signature. ## 5. Protection of your banking data E-SIGN has formally placed on record that **no banking credential or record of the applicant is stored by Khipu or by E-SIGN**: - Authentication takes place **entirely within the applicant’s own bank environment**. Online banking credentials are never entered on Khipu’s or E-SIGN’s systems. - Khipu publicly declares that it does not keep users’ banking credentials or secondary passwords (source: Khipu — “Security for the payer”). - All communications are encrypted over **HTTPS**, and each result notification is signed with **HMAC-SHA256**, which makes it possible to verify that the information was not altered in transit and that it actually comes from Khipu. - E-SIGN receives, via API and webhooks, **only the signed binary result of the validation (approved or rejected)** and the minimum data needed to associate that result with the pending certificate request — no bank passwords, statements, or online banking access data. - The E-SIGN–Khipu integration is permanently monitored and audited, and the platform undergoes **penetration testing every six months**. ## 6. Summary - The question challenge is formally replaced by bank transfer verification as of **August 20, 2026, 11:00 PM**. - The change responds to a recommendation issued by the Accrediting Entity during the 2025 Annual Ordinary Inspection of E-SIGN. - The mechanism has express regulatory backing under Law No. 19,799 and Article 3 of Decree No. 24 of 2019. - Your banking credentials never leave your bank’s environment and are not stored by Khipu or E-SIGN. - E-SIGN’s team will support clients throughout the transition. For assistance, contact your account executive or [contacto@e-sign.cl](mailto:contacto@e-sign.cl). ## 7. Official documents (downloadable evidence) The original official communications (in Spanish) can be downloaded here: - [Letter — Replacement of the FEA question challenge (E-SIGN S.A., August 2026)](https://legale.io/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CartaReemplazoDesafioPreguntas-FEA.pdf) - [Official statement — Protection of banking data in the Bank Transfer Verification mechanism (E-SIGN S.A., August 2026)](https://legale.io/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Comunicado_Proteccion_Datos_Transferencia_Bancaria.pdf)