Digital credentials and badges in 2027: what’s changed

Digital credentials have changed in three ways that matter to a training provider. Open Badges 3.0 rebuilt the badge on the W3C verifiable credentials model, EU rules now require member states to offer digital identity wallets, and badge issuing keeps growing while many providers still issue the older Open Badges 2.0. This post is for training providers and certification owners deciding what to issue and how learners can prove it.

What has not changed is the hard part: a credential is only as meaningful as the assessment and criteria behind it. Our certificate of completion vs certification post covers which tier of evidence each credential needs. This one covers the formats and proofs. Facts are as of November 2026 and are dated in the text.

Key takeaways

• Open Badges 3.0 (May 2024) builds badges on the W3C Verifiable Credentials model, which W3C finalized as version 2.0 on 15 May 2025.
• Issuing is growing: 1EdTech counted 320.4 million badges in its 2025 survey, and 40% of the platforms surveyed issued at least some 3.0 badges. Many still issue 2.0.
• The European Commission says member states must provide identity wallets by the end of 2026, but nothing checked for this post says training certificates must move into them.
• Format should follow evidence: settle the criteria and the assessment first, then choose a PDF, a badge or a signed credential.

What are digital credentials, and how do badges fit in?

A digital credential is an electronic record of an achievement, such as a course, a skill or a qualification, that someone else can check. A digital badge is one common format: a credential with the issuer, the achievement and the criteria attached. Jisc uses “digital credential or badge” for the same thing, so this post treats a badge as one kind of digital credential.

Keep three layers apart. The format is what the learner holds, such as a PDF, a badge or a wallet credential. The proof is how a stranger checks it is real and unaltered. The evidence is what the learner had to do to earn it. Most of the recent change is in the proof layer, while the evidence layer stays your job.

What has changed in the standards behind digital credentials?

Open Badges 3.0, released by 1EdTech in May 2024, rebuilt the badge as a W3C-style verifiable credential, and W3C finished its Verifiable Credentials Data Model 2.0 in May 2025. New badges can carry a signature that makes tampering detectable. Hosted Open Badges 2.0 data could not offer that.

What does Open Badges 3.0 change?

Open Badges 3.0 changes how a badge is built and proved. Under the Open Badges 3.0 specification, each badge is a verifiable credential that links the recipient, the issuer, the achievement and the proof directly. It allows decentralized identifiers, where 2.0 typically used web addresses for issuers and email addresses for learners, and it defines two signing formats, VC-JWT and Linked Data Proofs.

The specification is candid about the old format. It says hosted 2.0 badge data is not tamper-evident, and that signed 2.0 badges were not commonly issued and do not work with verifiable credential wallets. It also warns that badges issued under 3.0 will not meet every 2.x data model requirement, so moving from 2.0 is a project, not a switch.

What did W3C Verifiable Credentials 2.0 settle?

W3C published the Verifiable Credentials Data Model 2.0 as a Recommendation on 15 May 2025. It describes a verifiable credential as a set of claims that shows signs of any alteration and whose issuer can be verified with cryptography, and it names three roles: issuer, holder and verifier.

For a training provider the mapping is simple. You are the issuer, the learner is usually the holder, and an employer or client checking the credential is the verifier.

How widely are digital credentials and badges issued?

Issuing is growing, but Open Badges 3.0 is not yet the only format in use. 1EdTech’s 2025 Badge Count survey of 24 badge platforms found 320.4 million badges awarded, against 74.7 million in 2022. About 40% of those platforms issued at least some 3.0 badges, and many also kept issuing 2.0.

Read the growth as direction, not a measured rate. The figures are self-reported by platforms, and the number of participating platforms rose from 15 to 24 between 2022 and 2025. 1EdTech’s own announcement of the 2025 Badge Count says that makes direct comparison challenging.

Acceptance lags issuing. A March 2025 report from Jobs for the Future (JFF) on verifiable credential wallets says employer adoption of these tools for job applications remains limited, and it describes a cold-start problem.

What is changing for digital credentials in Europe?

Two EU developments matter. European Digital Credentials, described on the Europass site, let educational organizations issue signed learning credentials. Separately, Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, in force since 20 May 2024 according to EUR-Lex, requires each member state to provide an EU Digital Identity Wallet, which the Commission says can carry proof such as diplomas.

Europass says its credentials are signed with an e-Seal that gives them a legal presumption of authenticity across the EU, and that 18 countries are piloting digital credentials nationally. The page is undated, so check its current status.

The wallet deadline is worded two ways. The European Commission’s page on the digital identity regulation says wallets are due by the end of 2026. Article 5a(1) of the regulation ties a 24-month period to the date the implementing acts take effect, and the pages checked here do not give that date. The Commission page also says services legally required to identify customers must accept the wallet. It does not say training providers must issue certificates into wallets. This is general information, not legal advice, so confirm the current position with counsel.

Here is what each dated change means for a provider issuing certificates today.

Which digital credential should a training provider issue?

Match the format to the evidence you hold. Attendance records fit a simple certificate with a unique ID. An assessed completion with a documented pass mark suits a badge that states its criteria. Certification needs independent assessment, whichever format carries it. The pairings below are editorial judgment, not requirements of any standard.

A badge is not a better certificate. It is a different container. If a learner only attended, a signed badge proves only that. If you are still deciding what the certification itself should require, how to create a certification program from scratch covers that step.

What should you check before choosing a credentialing platform?

A vendor should show which Open Badges version it issues, what 1EdTech certification it holds for that version, and how expiry and revocation appear to someone checking a credential. Use this list when you compare vendors:

• Which version does it issue, 2.0 or 3.0, and with which proof format, VC-JWT or Linked Data Proofs?
• Can you see a sample credential file, not just a screenshot?
• Can a verifier check a credential without creating an account or paying a fee?
• How do expired and revoked credentials look to a verifier?
• Can you export every credential you have issued if you leave?
• Does the credential show your criteria and assessment method?

The third question comes from JFF’s report, which warns that some credential networks are closed or charge for verification, which limits access to verified records. The fifth is an editorial check.

Pro tip: Ask For The Directory Entry, Not The Logo. 1EdTech’s guide says certification requires membership, passing the tests for the features applied for, and approval. Ask the vendor for its entry in 1EdTech’s TrustEd Apps Directory and read which Open Badges version and services it lists. That is firmer than a “compatible” claim.

What should sit behind a digital credential so a stranger can trust it?

A credential is only as useful as the evidence behind it. For each one, record the criteria, the assessment method and pass mark, the issue date, any expiry, and a way to check revocation. JFF’s March 2025 report recommends that credential metadata state the requirements for earning it, so an employer can judge what it represents without knowing your brand.

Most of that record comes from your assessment, not from the credentialing platform. The score, the date and the pass mark live where the test was delivered. SimpliAssess’s published features page describes an API-first design for integrating with other platforms. Its published pages do not describe issuing badges or certificates, so any link between a result and a credential is an integration you would specify with the credential platform you choose.

Expiry also needs a renewal rule. If a credential lapses, decide what the learner must do to renew it and who checks. Our guide to recertification and recurrent testing covers how to automate renewals.

Pro tip: Run A Three-Badge Test Before Launch. 1EdTech’s certification tests for badge displayers use three test badges: one valid, one expired and one revoked. Issue the same three from your platform to a test address and look at what a stranger sees for each. If the expired and revoked ones look valid, fix that before any learner receives a credential.

What should you do next?

List every credential you issue today and place each in the table above by the evidence behind it. Mark any that carry the word “certified” without independent assessment, and any with no expiry rule. That list shows where a signed badge adds value and where a plain certificate is honest enough.

Then pilot one credential, not the whole catalog. Write its criteria from the assessment blueprint, issue it through a platform that can show you a sample file, and run the three-badge test before you extend the approach.

If branded PDF certificates tied to a score or to attendance meet your need today, SimpliTrain’s certificate management page says it issues branded digital certificates on conditions you define, such as a minimum score or attendance, and that learners download them from their dashboard and share them as PDF files. As of November 2026 the page lists certificate verification and LinkedIn sharing as roadmap items, not live, and it does not mention Open Badges.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a digital badge and a digital credential?

Digital credential is the broad term for an electronic record of an achievement that someone else can check. A digital badge is one kind, usually an image plus structured data naming the issuer, the achievement and the criteria, often in the Open Badges format. Jisc uses the two terms for the same thing, so confirm what a vendor means by each.

Is an Open Badges 3.0 badge the same as a W3C verifiable credential?

Open Badges 3.0 is built on the W3C model. Its specification says an Open Badges assertion is also a verifiable credential as defined by the W3C Data Model 2.0, and 1EdTech describes the badges as signed credentials compatible with that model. A 3.0 badge is a verifiable credential with extra fields for the achievement and its criteria.

Do digital credentials need a blockchain?

Not under Open Badges 3.0. Its specification defines two proof formats for signing a credential, VC-JWT and Linked Data Proofs, and the pages read for this post do not require a blockchain. Some vendors offer ledger anchoring as an extra. Treat that as a product feature to question, not as part of the standard.

Will EU digital identity wallets replace PDF certificates?

Nothing checked for this post says so. The Commission says member states must provide wallets, due by the end of 2026 in its wording, and that wallets can carry proof such as diplomas. It does not say training providers must issue certificates into them. Keep issuing what your learners can use today, and confirm any obligations with counsel.

Do employers accept digital badges?

None of the sources checked here measure employer acceptance of training badges directly. JFF’s March 2025 report on verifiable credential wallets says employer adoption for job applications remains limited. Make each badge self-explanatory by stating the criteria and the assessment, so an employer can judge it without knowing your organization.

What does 1EdTech certification for Open Badges 3.0 cover?

According to 1EdTech’s certification guide, it covers three services: issuer, displayer and host. A vendor must be a 1EdTech member, pass the conformance tests for the features it applies for, and be approved. Certification covers only the services and features listed, so read the directory entry rather than relying on a general claim.