Electronic signature trends 2025: comprehensive overview

The electronic signature is going through a period of profound change. Between the progressive entry into force of the eIDAS 2.0 regulation, the integration of artificial intelligence into document workflows and the rise of biometric solutions, 2025 laid the foundations for a lasting transformation of the market. The global electronic signature market continues its sustained growth, driven by the digitisation of processes. For European B2B companies, understanding these developments is not optional: it is a condition for competitiveness and compliance. This article draws up a structured overview of the main trends that marked 2025 and anticipates the developments that will be essential in 2026.

eIDAS 2.0: overhaul of the European digital trust framework

From Regulation 910/2014 to the revised framework: what's changing

Adopted in May 2024 and progressively implemented throughout 2025, eIDAS 2.0 Regulation (EU Regulation 2024/1183) represents the most significant revision of the European electronic identification framework since 2014. The most structural innovation is the mandatory introduction of the European Union Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW), which each Member State must offer to its citizens by 2026 at the latest.

This digital wallet will allow each user to store verified identity attributes (passport, qualifications, driving licence, tax data) and present them to sign documents with a high level of confidence. For electronic signature platforms, this means mandatory technical interoperability with national wallets via the technical specifications published by the EUDI Toolbox.

To learn more about the implications of this reform, consult our comprehensive guide to eIDAS 2.0 regulation.

New assurance levels and practical impacts

eIDAS 2.0 retains the SES (Simple), SEA (Advanced) and SQS (Qualified) trilogy, but strengthens audit and interoperability requirements for Qualified Trust Service Providers (QTSPs). In 2025, several Member States — including France, Germany and the Netherlands — finalised their updated national trust lists in accordance with new ETSI TS 119 612 requirements.

In practical terms, companies using qualified signatures for public procurement, dematerialised notarial deeds or financial contracts must now verify the compatibility of their service providers with the new technical specifications. The French trust list published by ANSSI is the national reference in this respect.

Artificial intelligence: from fraud detection to contract generation

AI in the service of identity verification

The integration of artificial intelligence models into Know Your Customer (KYC) and remote identity verification (IDV) processes established itself as the dominant technological trend of 2025. Liveness detection solutions — capable of distinguishing a real face from a photo or a deepfake — have gained significantly in accuracy.

For advanced electronic signatures requiring strong authentication, this development is decisive. Service providers that integrate proprietary Computer Vision models or specialised APIs (such as iBeta Level 2 certified) now offer signature journeys that combine:

• Passive facial recognition (passive liveness)

• Real-time behavioural analysis

• Cross-verification with identity document data (OCR + NFC chip reading)

Workflow automation and document generation

Generative AI, whose enterprise adoption exploded between 2023 and 2025, is also transforming the upstream phase of signature: document creation and verification. Tools such as our AI-powered contract generator now make it possible to produce legally structured documents in minutes, reducing drafting errors and accelerating commercial closing cycles.

Automation of document-based processes allows legal and sales teams to reduce the time spent on contract preparation. In 2025, this trend accelerated with the emergence of end-to-end pipelines: AI generation → assisted review → automatic routing → electronic signature → timestamped archiving.

Advanced biometrics: the new standard for strong authentication

Behavioural biometrics and digitised handwritten signatures

Biometrics are no longer limited to facial recognition or fingerprinting. In 2025, behavioural biometrics — which analyse the way a user types on a keyboard, moves a mouse or makes a tactile gesture — has emerged as a complementary authentication factor particularly suited to advanced electronic signatures.

Digitised handwritten signature (Handwritten Electronic Signature), which captures the dynamics of the gesture (pressure, speed, acceleration, stylus angle), is now recognised by several European legal systems as solid evidence, provided it is combined with qualified timestamping and a non-repudiation mechanism.

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) and FIDO2

The FIDO2/WebAuthn protocol, promoted by the FIDO Alliance and integrated into major browsers, became the de facto standard in 2025 for strong passwordless authentication in signature workflows. Its native compatibility with eIDAS 2.0 and EUDIWs makes it a crucial technical pivot for SaaS signature platforms.

Companies that have not yet migrated to robust MFA authentication face growing risks of identity spoofing during signature processes, with direct implications for the evidentiary value of their documents. Our comparison of electronic signature solutions integrates this criterion as an indicator of security maturity.

Sectoral adoption and market maturity in 2025

Sectors with strong growth: HR, real estate and healthcare

Three sectors concentrated the majority of electronic signature usage growth in 2025 in France:

Human Resources: the digitisation of employment contracts, amendments, DPAE documents and payslips accelerated after the publication of the CNIL's recommendations on the signing of HR documents (decision of 14 March 2024). The adoption of electronic signature for HR teams clearly reduces the documentary onboarding timeline.

Real Estate: sale agreements, mandates and commercial leases are increasingly signed electronically. Electronic signature in real estate is now an operational standard, no longer an innovation.

Healthcare: interoperability with hospital information systems (HIS) and GDPR requirements relating to health data (special category, article 9) have led to the emergence of HDS-certified solutions (Healthcare Data Hosting). Our dedicated page on electronic signature in the healthcare sector details the specific technical and regulatory requirements.

Market consolidation and platform migrations

2025 was also marked by notable consolidation of the European electronic signature market. Several historical players were the subject of acquisitions or mergers, whilst more agile SaaS platforms captured significant market share through their responsiveness to new eIDAS 2.0 requirements and competitive pricing.

Many companies undertook migration initiatives in 2025 from legacy solutions to more modern platforms. If you are considering this type of transition, our guide on migration from DocuSign or YouSign to Certyneo offers a practical roadmap.

To precisely calculate the return on investment for such a migration, our electronic signature ROI calculator provides a personalised estimate in less than 5 minutes.

Legal framework applicable to electronic signatures in 2025-2026

The legal value of an electronic signature rests on a precise regulatory stack that every organisation must master to secure its contractual commitments.

French Civil Code — Articles 1366 and 1367 Article 1366 of the Civil Code establishes the principle of equivalence: "Electronic writing has the same probative force as writing on paper support, provided that the person from whom it emanates can be duly identified and that it is established and preserved in conditions of a nature to guarantee its integrity." Article 1367 clarifies that electronic signature "consists of the use of a reliable identification process guaranteeing its link with the act to which it is attached".

eIDAS Regulation No. 910/2014 and its revision eIDAS 2.0 (EU Regulation 2024/1183) This regulation establishes the unified European legal framework for electronic trust services. It distinguishes three levels of signature: simple (SES), advanced (SEA) and qualified (SQS). Only qualified signature benefits from a legal presumption of equivalence to handwritten signature in all Member States (article 25, §2). eIDAS 2.0 strengthens interoperability via the EUDIW and extends the scope of trust services.

GDPR No. 2016/679 Electronic signature processes involve the processing of personal data (identity, biometrics, behaviour) which fall under the GDPR. Organisations must have a valid legal basis (article 6), conduct an impact assessment (DPIA — article 35) when biometric data is processed, and document their processing register (article 30). Biometric data constitutes a special category (article 9) requiring explicit consent or another derogation provided for by the regulation.

ETSI Standards The ETSI EN 319 132-1 standard defines formats for advanced electronic signatures XAdES, PAdES and CAdES. ETSI EN 319 401 sets general requirements for Trust Service Providers. Compliance with these standards conditions the cross-border interoperability of signatures within the EU.

NIS2 Directive (EU 2022/2555) Transposed into French law by Law No. 2024-449 of 21 May 2024, the NIS2 Directive imposes strengthened cybersecurity obligations on essential service operators and important entities. SaaS electronic signature platforms serving critical sectors (healthcare, finance, energy) may be subject to incident reporting obligations and supply chain risk management.

Legal risks in case of non-compliance An electronic signature that does not meet the requirements of its declared level can be contested in court, resulting in contract nullity or unenforceability. GDPR sanctions can reach 4% of annual global turnover. Under NIS2, administrative fines can amount to up to 10 million euros for essential entities.

Illustrative usage scenarios: electronic signature and 2025 innovations

Scenario 1 — A 15-lawyer legal practice generalising qualified signatures

These scenarios are illustrative: they describe typical situations and do not report any measured results from a client. A business law firm with around fifteen employees, handling several hundred deeds per year (transfers of business assets, shareholder agreements, service agreements), faces two recurring problems: signature delays extended by the paper-based circuit, and a growing difficulty in proving the identity of remote signatories in the event of a dispute.

By migrating to an eIDAS 2.0-compatible qualified electronic signature solution, with enhanced identity verification, the firm can shorten its signature turnaround times while having a complete audit trail (authentication log, timestamp, signature certificate). The extent of the gain is measured on its own volume, before and after deployment; no figure is put forward here.

Scenario 2 — An industrial SME automating supplier contracts with AI

An industrial SME handling around 300 supplier contracts per year (NDAs, framework purchasing agreements, price amendments) can set up an AI-assisted document pipeline: automated generation of contracts from configured templates, routing to internal and external signatories. This type of workflow shortens the contracting cycle; the extent is measured on the actual scope, before and after a pilot.

Integration with the ERP via a REST API can eliminate duplicate data entry and contractual data errors. The productivity gain (time reallocated to higher value-added tasks) is measured on the actual scope; no figure is put forward here.

Scenario 3 — A hospital group securing patient consents

A hospital group of about 600 beds had to manage hundreds of informed consent forms daily for surgical procedures and clinical research protocols. Paper management resulted in lost documents, delays incompatible with medical urgency and GDPR non-compliance risks (health data, special category article 9).

With an electronic signature solution hosted in an HDS environment, the group can collect consents on a tablet at the patient's bedside with authentication via an OTP code on a mobile phone, and add them to the electronic patient record with a timestamp. The rate of incomplete or illegible forms and the traceability are measured before and after deployment; compliance with CNIL requirements for health data still needs to be validated with the DPO.

Conclusion

2025 was the year of maturity for electronic signatures in Europe: eIDAS 2.0 set a new standard for interoperability, AI revolutionised document creation and verification, and advanced biometrics elevated the level of confidence in signer authentication. These trends are not fashions — they respond to increasing regulatory obligations and operational efficiency imperatives documented by sector data.

For B2B companies, the challenge for 2026 is clear: adopt a platform capable of absorbing these innovations without multiplying complex integrations or undermining legal compliance. Certyneo natively integrates these developments in a solution designed for business teams and legal departments.

Ready to take the next step? Discover Certyneo pricing or calculate your personalised ROI right now.