What CredDefense does

Unico is a privately held Brazilian AI-powered biometric identity verification platform that provides facial recognition with liveness detection, deepfake and AI-generated fraud detection, and a network-based fraud radar for enterprise customers. The company serves financial services, retail and e-commerce, and online gambling operators across 21+ countries, with disclosed operational offices in São Paulo (headquarters), Menlo Park, Mexico City, and Londrina. Named enterprise customers include DiDi, 99Pay, Novibet, and Magie, and the platform processes 150M+ transactions per month against a database of 170M+ unique user faces.

The core product is Unico IDCloud, built on a proprietary biometric engine organized into two solution suites. The Sign-up suite covers Onboarding, Non-document verification, Fraud risk level detection, and Multi-account prevention; the Continuous Authentication suite covers Smart Revalidation and Recurrent Fraud Risk Level detection. Regional variants address Brazilian regulatory requirements: Age Verification, Data Verification, and a Card-Not-Present product branded IDPay. Underlying technology combines computer vision (facial capture and liveness), structured-data signals (device, IP, location, behavioral risk signals), and multimodal fusion through what Unico describes as a '4x4 security and reaction' architecture, with disclosed performance of +99% secure liveness conversion, 0% false acceptance rate, and 3-second verification turnaround.

Unico operates an API-first go-to-market with developer documentation, a sandbox environment, and a self-serve integration path, supplemented by direct enterprise sales for larger accounts. The revenue model combines subscription/recurring contracts with per-transaction pricing for identity verification, although specific pricing tiers are not publicly disclosed. The company is backed by 'top tier world investors' (specific names not disclosed in available source data), holds SOC 2 Type 2, iBeta Level 1 and Level 2, BixeLab Level 1 and Level 2 (obtained 2025), BixeLab IAD, NIST validation, and GDPR compliance, and presents itself as 'the truth layer for the GenAI era.'

Name

CredDefense

Legal name

Unico

Website

https://creddefense.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Unico is a Brazilian AI-powered biometric identity verification platform offering facial recognition, liveness detection, and deepfake fraud prevention for financial services, retail, and gambling enterprises globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Identity Verification Software

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)

akta.pro primary industry

Facial Recognition & Biometrics (HDAAAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Identity Verification (IDV) & Document Verification (FSAMALAE), Verification & Risk Signals (Device Fingerprinting, Behavioral Biometrics) (HDADALAJ), Identity Verification (ID, SSN Trace, KYC-lite) (BPACALAD)

Keywords

• Facial biometrics platform
• Identity verification software
• Deepfake detection technology
• Liveness detection systems
• Fraud prevention APIs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bebedouro

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Identity Verification API Services: API-based identity verification services with per-transaction or subscription pricing model. The platform processes authentications and transactions for enterprise customers across financial services, retail, and gambling industries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CredDefense operates an AI-powered facial biometrics identity verification platform that combines a proprietary biometric engine with deepfake and AI-generated fraud detection, liveness detection, and a network-wide fraud radar. The platform delivers deterministic identity verification in approximately 3 seconds, supports onboarding and continuous authentication use cases, and is offered primarily as APIs and modular software products to enterprise customers in financial services, retail/e-commerce, and gambling.

Product overview

Unico offers a unified identity verification platform (Unico IDCloud) with modular products organized into two main categories: Sign-up solutions (Onboarding, Non-document verification, Fraud risk level detection, Multi-account prevention) and Continuous authentication solutions (Smart revalidation, Recurrent fraud risk level detection). Regional variants are available for Brazil market (Age verification, Data verification, Card not present verification/IDPay). The platform is built on a proprietary biometric engine with deepfake detection, fraud radar, and 3-second conversion processing. Unico processes over 150 million transactions per month across 170 million+ unique user faces in 21+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Unico IDCloud: Identity cloud platform providing deepfake detection, deterministic identity verification, fraud radar, and fast conversion identity verification.

Products and services

• Unico IDCloud (Core Identity Verification Platform) Unified identity verification platform providing deterministic identity verification, deepfake detection, fraud radar, and 3-second conversion processing. Core platform powering all product modules; sold to enterprise customers via API integration across financial services, retail, and gambling industries.
• Onboarding User onboarding module for identity verification during new account creation, incorporating liveness detection and document verification. Sold to enterprises to verify new users during sign-up.
• Non-document verification Identity verification capability that confirms user identity without requiring document submission, using biometric and behavioral signals from the Living Network. Sold to enterprises for frictionless onboarding without document capture.
• Fraud risk level detection Scoring system that assesses and classifies fraud risk levels during user onboarding to prevent fraudulent account creation. Sold to enterprises for real-time risk scoring during sign-up.
• Multi-account prevention Detection system that prevents users from creating multiple accounts using the same identity, powered by the Living Network. Sold to enterprises to combat multi-account and bonus abuse fraud.
• Age verification (Brazil) Privacy-preserving age verification solution for Brazil market using a single selfie to confirm user age. Sold to enterprises operating in Brazil for age-gated products and services.
• Data verification (Brazil) Data verification service tailored for Brazil regulatory requirements and market conditions. Sold to enterprises operating in Brazil for regulatory data verification.
• Smart revalidation Continuous authentication module that automatically re-validates user identity to maintain session security without friction. Sold to enterprises for ongoing session and account security.
• Recurrent fraud risk level detection Ongoing fraud risk monitoring that detects and scores suspicious activity across existing user sessions and transactions. Sold to enterprises for continuous transaction-level fraud risk monitoring.
• Card not present verification (IDPay) Identity verification for card-not-present transactions in Brazil, enabling secure payment authentication without physical card presence. Sold to Brazilian payment processors and merchants.
• Core Capabilities (Biometric & Identity Engine) Core biometric and identity verification engine powering the entire platform, providing liveness detection and deterministic identity resolution. Sold as the foundational engine for enterprise integration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.2B+ authentications completed in one year
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Onfido (Entrust): Onfido provides AI-powered identity verification with document and biometric checks, liveness detection, and fraud signals for global enterprises. Acquired by Entrust, it competes with Unico across onboarding, KYC, and fraud prevention in financial services and emerging verticals.
• Jumio: Jumio is a leading global identity verification and biometric authentication platform serving banks, fintechs, and online businesses with KYC, AML, and liveness detection. It competes head-to-head with Unico in deepfake-resistant identity verification for financial services, gambling, and retail, making it the most direct comparator.
• idwall: idwall is a Brazilian identity verification and background check platform offering facial biometrics, document validation, and KYC/AML APIs. As a fellow Brazilian-headquartered IDV provider, it is a closely comparable LATAM peer, competing for the same fintech, retail, and enterprise customers.
• Persona: Persona is an identity infrastructure platform offering configurable KYC, AML, and biometric verification APIs used by global fintechs, crypto, and consumer apps. Its API-first, developer-centric GTM closely mirrors Unico's go-to-market.
• iProov: iProov specializes in biometric facial authentication with patented liveness and deepfake detection, serving governments, banks, and travel/identity programs. Its science-led approach to spoof and generative-AI fraud makes it a tightly comparable technical peer to Unico's biometric engine.
• Socure: Socure is a leading US-based identity verification and fraud risk platform combining KYC, AML, device, and behavioral signals. It competes with Unico in financial services and high-volume enterprise onboarding, particularly with its Sigma Fraud and document verification suite.
• Veriff: Veriff provides AI-driven identity verification with biometric and document checks, serving financial services, mobility, and online communities. It competes directly with Unico on liveness detection accuracy, conversion speed, and fraud prevention in regulated verticals.
• Mitek Systems: Mitek provides mobile identity verification, biometric authentication, and fraud detection used by global banks and fintechs. It overlaps with Unico on document-and-selfie onboarding, liveness detection, and identity proofing for regulated industries.

Broad incumbents

• IDEMIA: IDEMIA is a global leader in biometric, identity, and credentialing solutions for governments and large enterprises. It overlaps with Unico on facial recognition, liveness detection, and digital identity, but operates at much broader scale across physical and digital identity programs.
• Thales Digital Identity (formerly Gemalto): Thales provides digital identity, biometric verification, and secure authentication solutions to governments, banks, and enterprises worldwide. Its breadth in identity and KYC services makes it a broad incumbent that overlaps with Unico's enterprise-facing identity verification stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CredDefense