Daon has introduced support for mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) within its biometric identity assurance platform through a new collaboration with MATTR, a developer of digital trust infrastructure. The partnership brings interoperable, privacy-preserving digital credential verification into Daon’s identity ecosystem, allowing governments and enterprises to issue and accept mDLs and other verifiable credentials alongside biometric authentication.
The launch positions Daon to capitalize on growing adoption of mDLs, which have gained traction as a secure and convenient way to verify identity and age in both physical and digital contexts. The Transportation Security Administration has already approved mDLs from 20 U.S. states for use at airport checkpoints, and another dozen jurisdictions are preparing launches. Combined, more than half of the U.S. population now lives in a state with an active or planned mDL program. The U.K. has also confirmed that mDLs will be among the first credentials supported in its forthcoming national digital wallet initiative.
Tom Grissen, Daon’s chief executive officer, said the new capability “puts Daon at the forefront of that transformation,” citing the integration of MATTR’s verifiable credential infrastructure with Daon’s biometric identity platform as “a seamless way to issue mDL-based credentials and accept mDL data in any scenario.”
The combined framework supports real-time issuance and verification of credentials in compliance with international standards, including ISO/IEC 18013-5 and 18013-7. It links Daon’s biometric trust layer—used for secure onboarding and authentication—with MATTR’s cryptographic credentialing system to ensure selective disclosure and user control over shared information. The result is a model that lets relying parties verify only the data required for each transaction while protecting privacy by design.
According to Claire Barber, chief executive officer at MATTR, “Digital trust only scales when it’s simple, open, and privacy-first. Together with Daon, we’re enabling the confident issuance and acceptance of mobile credentials anywhere.”
The initiative builds on Daon’s recent expansion of biometric and identity partnerships, including its collaboration with Giesecke+Devrient to strengthen digital identity security across industries. It also aligns with MATTR’s role in government digital identity projects, such as its selection by New South Wales for the state’s digital ID program. Both companies emphasize adherence to open standards to ensure interoperability across borders and systems.
Beyond transportation and licensing, mDLs are emerging as multipurpose identity credentials. They are increasingly used for age verification, online access control, and fraud prevention, with privacy advocates continuing to push for transparency in how mDL data is exchanged. A recent ID Tech report highlighted ongoing debate over how ISO standards balance convenience and surveillance risk. Daon and MATTR’s framework aims to address those concerns through cryptographically verified, user-controlled data sharing.
Daon says the integration enables issuance and acceptance of new credential types without requiring organizations to rebuild their onboarding workflows. By combining biometric verification with standards-based credentials, the company expects to reduce friction and strengthen fraud prevention for clients across financial services, travel, and government sectors.
“Our mission has always been to make digital trust universal,” Grissen said. “By uniting biometric assurance with open-standard credentials, we’re bridging the gap between physical and digital identity and setting a new benchmark for interoperability and trust.”
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By Ali Nassar-Smith
