For years, a central question in digital identity has been straightforward: is this person who they claim to be? That question remains essential, but it is becoming insufficient on its own.
Synthetic identities can combine genuine and fabricated information. Generative AI can create increasingly convincing content and documentation. And agentic AI adds another dimension, with software able to research, decide and act on behalf of consumers.
The challenge for fraud and identity teams is shifting accordingly. Individual signals still matter, but increasingly it is the relationship between those signals that determines whether an interaction can be trusted.
Fraud controls are under pressure
Experian research shows that businesses across markets are already feeling the strain.
In the UK, 62% of businesses reported increasing fraud losses in recent years, despite 86% expressing high confidence in their ability to deal with fraud.
In the US, 60% of businesses surveyed said fraud losses had increased, while 19% of consumers reported financial loss from online fraud in the previous year.
Established controls are being tested as fraud becomes more sophisticated and digital interactions become harder to interpret.
Trust requires context
A stronger approach connects identity attributes with network, device, interaction and transactional intelligence. It looks at the relationships between signals and assesses risk in context rather than relying on a succession of isolated checks.
This matters for customer experience as well as fraud prevention. In Experian’s US research, 84% of consumers said they would complete additional security steps when necessary to help prevent fraud.
The opportunity is to apply friction where the evidence warrants it, while giving genuine customers a smoother experience when the available signals support confidence.
From more data to a richer view of identity risk
Experian’s global Connected Intelligence research found that 43% of financial institutions cited fragmentation between data systems as a major challenge.
For fraud leaders, the ability to connect data is therefore becoming as important as the sophistication of an individual model or identity check.
It is in this context that Mastercard and Experian are working together.
In the conversation, leaders from Mastercard and Experian discuss how complementary sources of identity intelligence can provide a more complete view of digital interactions.
Mastercard brings global network-based identity intelligence across attributes including name, address, email, phone and IP. Experian contributes its own data assets and view of consumers and businesses, alongside bureau data, analytics, decisioning and established identity and fraud capabilities. These signals can be brought together within the Experian Ascend Platform to support decisions across the customer journey.
Organisations can assess whether individual attributes appear legitimate, how strongly they are connected to the claimed individual, and whether the wider combination of identity, network and behavioural signals indicates increased risk. For people who are new to credit or new to a country, traditional credit history may not tell the whole story. Mastercard and Experian bring together additional insights to help organizations build a fuller picture of identity risk.
A stronger foundation for identity intelligence
The future of identity and fraud prevention will not be defined by a single data source. It will depend on how effectively organisations can bring together relevant signals, understand the relationships between them and apply that intelligence in context.
By combining Mastercard’s network-based identity intelligence with Experian’s extensive data assets, bureau insight, fraud capabilities, analytics and decisioning, organisations can build a richer view of risk and make more confident decisions throughout the customer journey.
The opportunity is to move beyond simply asking whether an identity attribute is valid, towards understanding whether the overall evidence supports trust, helping businesses strengthen fraud prevention while reducing unnecessary friction for genuine customers.
