Trust

The BIND Directory is the public key infrastructure (PKI) for the BIND ecosystem. It is a git-based registry of insurance participants and their signing keys, hosted at bindpki.org.

When a participant signs a BIND Bundle, anyone can verify the signature by fetching the signer's public key from the directory — no prior relationship, shared secrets, or vendor lock-in required.

How It Works

The Directory

Each participant maintains a folder in the bind-directory repository:

participants/your-org/
├── manifest.json   # Organization metadata and regulatory credentials
├── jwks.json       # Public keys in JWKS format
├── logo.png        # Organization logo
└── logo.svg        # Organization logo

Manifest

The manifest.json contains organization metadata including an embedded BIND Organization resource, regulatory credentials (license numbers, registry links), and participant status.

JWKS

Public keys are published in standard RFC 7517 JWKS format. Keys support EC P-256, RSA, and OKP types, with optional lifecycle fields (iat, nbf, exp) for key rotation management.

Once merged, keys are served at:

https://bindpki.org/{slug}/.well-known/jwks.json

Verification and Governance

Joining the directory requires:

1. Regulatory credentials — License numbers, registration IDs, and links to public registries (e.g., AMF for Quebec brokers, FSRA for Ontario insurers)
2. Community review — The BIND Standard Team and community verify the organization's legitimacy before merging
3. Email verification — Applicants email directory@bind-standard.org with their credentials for verification

Git provides a transparent, auditable history of all changes to participant keys and metadata.

Participant Types

Code	Description
insurer	Insurance carrier
broker	Insurance broker
mga	Managing General Agent
tpa	Third-Party Administrator
reinsurer	Reinsurance company
expert	Claims adjuster, appraiser, or expert
counsel	Legal counsel
tech-provider	Insurance technology provider
industry-body	Industry association or standards body

Joining

The fastest way to join is the scaffold script in the bind-directory repository:

pnpm run join-directory

This generates your participant folder with a key pair, pre-filled manifest, and prompts for regulatory credentials. See the full guide at bindpki.org/join.

Key Management

Participants manage their keys using:

pnpm run manage-keys

This supports listing keys with lifecycle status, rotating keys (with grace periods on old keys), retiring individual keys, and removing expired keys. All changes are submitted as pull requests.

Relationship to Other Components

Component	Role
BIND Directory	Publishes participant identities and public keys
Signed Bundles	Uses directory keys to sign and verify BIND Bundles
BIND Exchange	Uses directory keys for trust-tiered encrypted sharing
BIND Terminology	Provides the code systems used in participant manifests