Open Badge 3.0: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It Became the Global Standard for Digital Credentials
Open Badge 3.0 explained: what it is, how it works, differences from 2.0, and why it became the global standard for digital credentials.By POK Team
Everything you need to know about Open Badge 3.0: the global standard that defines how digital credentials are issued today.
Direct answer: Open Badge 3.0 is the open technical standard, maintained by the 1EdTech Consortium, that defines how digital credentials are structured, issued, and verified so they're portable and interoperable worldwide. Unlike Open Badge 2.0, it aligns with the W3C Verifiable Credentials data model, embeds cryptographic proofs, supports selective disclosure, and works natively with digital wallets. POK – Proof of Knowledge is officially certified by 1EdTech as an Open Badge 3.0 platform.
In June 2024, after three years of open development, 1EdTech approved Open Badge 3.0 as a final specification. The change went largely unnoticed by the general public, but inside the digital credentials sector it was an inflection point. For the first time, an academic credentials standard was aligned with the global verifiable digital identity infrastructure being built by the W3C, European governments, and the world's largest technology companies.
That alignment changes a lot. It changes what a credential can do, how long it stays valid, which ecosystems it can move through, and how resistant it is to fraud. And, most importantly, it changes what institutions issuing digital credentials need to evaluate before choosing a platform.
This guide explains what Open Badge 3.0 is, how it works technically, how it differs from version 2.0, who is adopting it, and what an institution beginning to evaluate implementation should keep in mind.
What is Open Badge 3.0?
Open Badge 3.0 is an open technical standard, maintained by the 1EdTech Consortium (formerly known as IMS Global), that defines how digital credentials are structured, issued, and verified so they're portable and interoperable worldwide.
More concretely: it's the set of rules that lets a credential issued by a Mexican university be read, verified, and accepted by an employer in Germany, a digital wallet in Japan, or a job platform in the United States — without any of those parties ever having had contact with the issuing institution.
What sets Open Badge 3.0 apart from earlier versions is its alignment with the W3C Verifiable Credentials data model. That alignment is what produced the qualitative leap: it made educational digital credentials part of the broader verifiable digital identity ecosystem being built globally.
How it works in practice
There's a technical difference between how earlier versions of Open Badge worked and how 3.0 works that's worth understanding, because it has real practical consequences.
In Open Badge 2.0 and earlier, when a university issued a credential, the data was stored on the institution's own server (or its platform provider's). The credential lived there. When someone wanted to verify it, they queried that server to confirm the credential was authentic. If the university shut down the domain or switched platforms, verification links broke. The credential still existed, but it could no longer be proven true.
In Open Badge 3.0 the model is different. The credential is cryptographically signed at issuance and delivered directly to the holder, who keeps it in their own digital wallet. Verification no longer depends on the issuer's server: any compatible system can confirm authenticity by reading the cryptographic signature embedded in the credential itself. It's a shift from "issuer-hosted credentials" to "holder-owned credentials."
The MIT Digital Credentials Consortium explains this difference with a useful example: in the old model, if the issuer disappears, the credential loses its ability to be verified. In the new model, the credential can be verified even if the institution that issued it no longer exists, because the proof of authenticity travels with the credential itself.
The four technical innovations that matter
1. Alignment with W3C Verifiable Credentials. This is the structural innovation. Open Badge 3.0 stopped being an education-only standard and became part of the global verifiable digital identity ecosystem. An Open Badge 3.0 credential can coexist with other verifiable credentials in the same user wallet: digital driver's licenses, vaccination certificates, professional certifications. All under the same technical model.
2. Embedded cryptographic proofs. Unlike earlier versions, where verification depended on querying the issuer, Open Badge 3.0 includes digital signatures inside the credential itself. That means the credential is self-verifiable: any compatible system can confirm its authenticity without contacting the original issuer.
3. Enhanced privacy. Open Badge 3.0 introduces selective disclosure mechanisms. The holder can decide what information to share and with whom, keeping the rest private. A graduate can prove they hold a specific certification without revealing their date of birth, address, or data not needed for verification. In earlier versions, part of that information was public by default.
4. Alignment with skills frameworks. Open Badge 3.0 adds the ability to link each credential to internationally recognized skills frameworks, like ESCO in Europe or 1EdTech's CASE. A credential goes from being just "Data Analysis Course" to "Data Analysis Course linked to ESCO competency X, at proficiency level Y." That multiplies the real value of the credential when an employment system or recruiter processes it.
Open Badge 3.0 vs Open Badge 2.0: the practical differences
| Feature | Open Badge 2.0 | Open Badge 3.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Data model | Proprietary JSON-LD | W3C Verifiable Credentials |
| Credential hosting | Issuer's server | Holder's wallet |
| Verification | Requires active issuer server | Self-verifiable with cryptography |
| Long-term validity | Depends on issuer | Independent of issuer |
| Holder privacy | Partially public data | Selective disclosure |
| Digital wallet compatibility | Limited | Native |
| Skills frameworks | Unstructured | Aligned with ESCO, CASE, others |
One thing to acknowledge: Open Badge 3.0 adoption is still in transition. Although the specification was approved as final in June 2024, in practice version 2.0 is still the most widely used standard in active digital credentials programs. The reason is practical: the ecosystem around 3.0 (mass-market digital wallets, decentralized identifier infrastructure, Verifiable Credentials-based verification systems) is still maturing. That said, every signal from the sector points to 3.0 as the path forward, and institutions starting new programs have no incentive to adopt the old standard.
"Open Badge 3.0 compatible" is not the same as "certified by 1EdTech"
Here's a critical point many institutions overlook when evaluating platforms. Any provider can claim to "follow the Open Badge 3.0 standard." Actually meeting it and having proven it are different things.
1EdTech, the body that maintains the standard, offers an official certification process that technically audits whether the platform complies with all the specifications. Platforms that pass the process are listed in the public directory of certified products.
If a platform claims Open Badge 3.0 compatibility but doesn't appear in that public directory, its compatibility is self-reported. For an educational institution, the difference between "the provider says it complies" and "1EdTech audited and confirmed it complies" isn't semantic: it's the difference between taking on reputational risk or not.
POK – Proof of Knowledge is part of the 1EdTech official directory as a platform certified for Open Badge 3.0, which means every credential issued with POK – Proof of Knowledge meets the standard under external audit by the body that maintains the specification.
Who is adopting it
Open Badge 3.0 adoption is visible across three fronts.
Higher education. The Digital Credentials Consortium (DCC), a network founded by 12 higher education institutions in North America and Europe that includes MIT, is actively building infrastructure based on Open Badge 3.0 and W3C Verifiable Credentials. The DCC Learner Credential Wallet currently only accepts credentials that comply with the Open Badge 3.0 standard.
Technology companies. Companies like IBM, Microsoft, Google, and Cisco have been issuing digital badges under the Open Badge standard for their technical certifications for years. The progressive migration toward version 3.0 is part of the sector's development.
Europe. While the European Union developed its own format (European Digital Credentials, under the European Learning Model), both standards share the same W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Model technical base, which enables compatibility between the two ecosystems. POK – Proof of Knowledge is compatible with both Open Badge 3.0 and the European Learning Model, making it easier for credentials issued with POK – Proof of Knowledge to be recognized in the European ecosystem.
Global adoption with POK – Proof of Knowledge. More than 1,100 institutions across 19 countries already issue credentials under the Open Badge 3.0 standard through POK – Proof of Knowledge. They include Trinity College London in the United Kingdom, Louisiana Tech University in the United States, Universidad de San Andrés and Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Argentina, Universidad Insurgentes and Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) in Mexico, CESA (Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administración) in Colombia, and Universidad Católica del Uruguay. The diversity — from public and private universities to business schools, international bodies, and regional education networks — reflects how broad the spectrum of organizations already operating under this standard is.
Five questions worth asking before choosing a platform
If an institution is evaluating digital credentials providers built on Open Badge 3.0, there are five questions that quickly filter the noise.
First: is it officially certified by 1EdTech? Ask the platform to show its profile in the public 1EdTech directory. If it's not listed, its compatibility is self-reported.
Second: how does it store verification records? If it keeps everything in its own centralized database, you lose one of Open Badge 3.0's key advantages. Platforms that anchor records on blockchain offer a verification layer independent of the platform itself.
Third: does it let the holder use standard digital wallets? The student should be able to take their credentials in a wallet of their choice (Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, the DCC Learner Credential Wallet, or others). If it only works inside a wallet proprietary to the provider, lock-in is real.
Fourth: does it support selective disclosure? It's a native capability of the standard. Many platforms still implement it only partially.
Fifth: what happens if they stop operating tomorrow? This question makes some providers uncomfortable, but it's legitimate. If the answer doesn't include "your credentials remain verifiable," there's a structural problem in the model.
POK – Proof of Knowledge's role in the Open Badge 3.0 ecosystem
POK – Proof of Knowledge was one of the first platforms in Latin America to obtain 1EdTech's official certification for Open Badge 3.0. But the implementation goes beyond minimum technical compliance.
Digital credentials issued with POK – Proof of Knowledge comply with the Open Badge 3.0 standard and, on top of that, are anchored to a public blockchain at issuance. That adds an extra layer of independent verification: even in the hypothetical scenario where POK – Proof of Knowledge disappeared, every credential issued would still be mathematically verifiable through blockchain.
That combination — Open Badge 3.0 certified by 1EdTech + anchored to a public blockchain — is what makes microcredentials issued with POK – Proof of Knowledge truly permanent, portable, and independent of any provider.
Add to that compatibility with the European Learning Model for recognition in Europe, integration with skills frameworks like ESCO, and selective disclosure that protects the holder's privacy.
Frequently asked questions about Open Badge 3.0
Is Open Badge 3.0 the same as a blockchain certificate? No. They're two complementary things. Open Badge 3.0 is a technical standard for format and verification. Blockchain is a decentralized storage technology. A platform can issue Open Badge 3.0 credentials without using blockchain, or use blockchain without complying with Open Badge 3.0. POK – Proof of Knowledge combines both: it issues credentials in the Open Badge 3.0 format certified by 1EdTech and anchors them to a public blockchain for permanent independent verification.
Do Open Badge 2.0 credentials stop working? Not automatically. 2.0 credentials remain valid as long as the platform that issued them keeps its servers running. But they lose compatibility with the new digital wallet systems and verification ecosystems based on W3C Verifiable Credentials. For institutions starting programs today, there's no reason to choose the old standard.
Who maintains the Open Badge 3.0 standard? The 1EdTech Consortium, a non-profit organization that brings together more than 600 members across universities, governments, technology platforms, and educational providers. The standard is public, open, and developed collaboratively with the community. Version 3.0 was approved as final in June 2024.
Is an Open Badge 3.0 credential automatically recognized in Europe? The European situation has a nuance. The European Union developed its own format (European Digital Credentials), which is different from Open Badge 3.0 but shares the same W3C Verifiable Credentials technical base. Both systems are compatible with each other, and platforms like POK – Proof of Knowledge are compatible with both standards at the same time, which allows their credentials to circulate in both ecosystems.
Are Open Badge 3.0 credentials legally valid? Legal validity depends on each country's regulatory framework and the type of credential. Open Badge 3.0 provides the technical verifiable format, but legal recognition of a specific diploma or certification depends on the relevant educational authorities.
How do you verify that a platform truly complies with Open Badge 3.0? Check the official 1EdTech certifications directory. It lists every platform audited by the body. If a platform doesn't appear in that listing, its compliance is self-reported and not externally validated.
Can Open Badge 2.0 credentials be migrated to 3.0? It depends on the platform. Some offer migration tools that generate new credentials under the 3.0 standard for holders of earlier 2.0 credentials. Migration isn't always automatic and usually requires reissuing the credentials under the new format.
Conclusion
Open Badge 3.0 isn't an incremental improvement on the previous version. It's the structural change that finally made digital credentials part of the global verifiable digital identity ecosystem. The standard is still in transition — 2.0 is still the most used in production — but the direction of the sector is clear, and institutions starting new programs have no incentive to adopt the old standard.
The question for any institution issuing credentials today is no longer whether Open Badge 3.0 matters. It's how, and with which provider, to adopt it. And there, the difference between a platform officially certified by 1EdTech and one that claims compatibility without audit is a difference worth taking seriously.
If you want to see how POK – Proof of Knowledge issues credentials under the Open Badge 3.0 standard certified by 1EdTech, the first step is a conversation. No cost. No commitment.
