A Brief History of BIMI: From 2018 to 2026
Trace the evolution of BIMI from its 2018 working group origins through Gmail's rollout, VMC issuance, CMC introduction, and Apple Mail support — with a clear view of where the standard stands in 2026.
A Brief History of BIMI: From 2018 to 2026
Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) did not emerge overnight. It is the product of sustained industry collaboration, incremental adoption, and a deliberate push to make authenticated email visually trustworthy. This article traces the key milestones.
2018: The Working Group Forms
In 2018, a coalition of email industry stakeholders — including Gmail, Yahoo, SendGrid, and Valimail — established the BIMI Working Group under the AuthIndicators Working Group umbrella. Their goal: create an open standard that lets domain owners display a verified brand logo in supporting email clients, contingent on strong email authentication.
The foundational requirement was clear from the start — DMARC enforcement (policy of quarantine or reject) would be the gatekeeping mechanism.
2019–2020: Gmail Pilot Phase
Gmail ran a closed pilot with select senders during 2019 and 2020. This phase validated the technical architecture, stress-tested the DNS-based logo lookup mechanism, and refined the Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) model — a new class of digital certificate that cryptographically ties a trademarked logo to a domain.
2021: General Availability and VMC Issuance Begins
Two significant milestones landed in 2021:
- Gmail officially launched BIMI to all users, making it the first major email client to support the standard at scale.
- DigiCert and Entrust became the first Certificate Authorities authorised to issue VMCs, enabling brands to obtain the certificates required for logo display in Gmail.
For the first time, a brand could send an authenticated email and have its logo appear automatically in the recipient's inbox — no sender-side image attachment required.
May 2023: Gmail Introduces the Blue Verified Checkmark
Gmail elevated BIMI's visibility by adding a blue verified checkmark to messages sent by VMC holders. This UI treatment — similar in concept to social media verification badges — gave recipients an immediate, recognisable trust signal. For brands, it became a tangible inbox differentiator.
Late 2024: CMCs Arrive and the CA Landscape Shifts
Two notable developments reshaped the BIMI ecosystem in late 2024:
- Google began accepting Common Mark Certificates (CMCs) as an alternative to VMCs. CMCs do not require a registered trademark, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for smaller brands and organisations that hold a logo but not a formal trademark registration.
- Entrust announced its exit from the public certificate market and sold its certificate business to Sectigo. Sectigo assumed Entrust's position as an authorised VMC and CMC issuer, maintaining continuity for existing certificate holders.
2025–2026: Apple Mail Joins; Microsoft Remains Absent
Apple Mail added BIMI support across iOS and macOS, marking a major expansion of the standard's reach. Given Apple Mail's substantial share of mobile email opens, this adoption brought BIMI logos to a significant new audience without any additional configuration required from senders already compliant with the standard.
Microsoft, however, has not implemented BIMI support in Outlook or Exchange Online as of mid-2026. Senders targeting Microsoft-hosted inboxes cannot currently display BIMI logos to those recipients.
Where BIMI Stands Today
BIMI has moved from a working group proposal to a live, multi-client standard in under eight years. The introduction of CMCs, Apple Mail support, and growing enterprise adoption signal continued momentum. The primary gap remains Microsoft's absence — a gap the industry continues to watch closely.
Get Started with BIMI
Ready to implement BIMI for your domain? makeBIMI.com offers free SVG logo conversion to the BIMI-compliant Tiny PS format and a free DMARC audit to confirm your domain is ready. For enterprise VMC and CMC certificate brokerage, visit veriBIMI.com.