New research from Axon Labs shows that biometric liveness certification activity accelerated in 2025, with outcomes suggesting the market is settling on stronger assurance expectations and preparing for the next phase of attack sophistication. Based on iBeta’s published confirmation letters and Axon Labs’ analysis, the data points to Level 2 liveness becoming a practical baseline rather than a premium differentiator.
During 2025, iBeta published 55 confirmation letters covering 40 companies, representing roughly 20 percent growth compared to the prior year. The increase reflects sustained demand for independently validated liveness controls, particularly in regulated digital onboarding and identity verification workflows. According to Axon Labs, the year’s results show a near-even split between Level 1 and Level 2 certifications, a marked change from earlier periods when Level 1 outcomes dominated.
That balance matters. Level 1 testing is designed to address basic presentation attacks, while Level 2 introduces more advanced scenarios and environmental considerations. A fifty-fifty distribution indicates that buyers and vendors increasingly treat Level 2 as a standard requirement for competitive deployments, especially in financial services, platform identity, and high-volume consumer onboarding.
Convenience Still Drives Design Choices
Despite rising concern about AI-enabled fraud and synthetic identity attacks, convenience remains a dominant design driver. Axon Labs’ research finds that passive liveness approaches accounted for the majority of certifications in 2025. Passive methods, which do not require users to perform explicit actions, are increasingly favored for their ability to reduce friction while still meeting baseline assurance expectations.
At the same time, the data suggests the market is expanding beyond mobile-only assumptions. Desktop and proprietary device deployments emerged as a meaningful share of certifications, signaling that liveness checks are being integrated into a broader range of identity workflows. These include assisted onboarding, contact center interactions, and environments where device control or higher-quality sensors can be leveraged. The shift has implications for how attack surfaces are defined and how detection systems are instrumented.
Certification as Procurement Baseline
Industry participation patterns reinforce the idea that liveness certification has become a procurement prerequisite. Identity verification and KYC providers represented just over half of certified companies in 2025, underscoring how frequently iBeta results now appear in RFPs and vendor evaluations. Axon Labs also notes growing participation from organizations building liveness capabilities in-house, including large platforms and financial institutions.
The presence of major technology companies such as Microsoft, Alibaba Cloud, and Tencent among certified solutions further supports the view that liveness detection is becoming infrastructure rather than a niche add-on. As platform providers internalize these capabilities, standalone vendors may face increased pressure to demonstrate operational performance and fraud outcomes beyond holding a certification badge.
Looking Ahead to Level 3
The next inflection point is already in view. iBeta introduced Level 3 liveness testing in mid-2025, targeting more sophisticated attack vectors such as hyper-realistic masks. While no Level 3 certifications were issued during the year, Axon Labs expects the first results to appear in 2026.
For vendors and relying parties, Level 3 is likely to shift conversations from whether liveness is certified to how systems behave under advanced, adversarial conditions. In that sense, the 2025 data may be remembered less for its headline growth and more for marking the moment when Level 2 became the market’s default expectation.
Source: Axon Labs
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
