Welcome to the Experian Thought Leadership Hub

Read our first-ever State of Energy and Utilities Report examining the forces shaping the industry this year.

• Rising arrearages and affordability pressures
• Expanding digital channels and identity-related fraud exposure
• AI-driven demand, data center growth and grid resiliency challenges
• Data-driven strategies to reduce risk and strengthen customer trust

After outperforming expectations in 2025, the U.S. economy heads into 2026 with momentum - and meaningful risks. This Macro Moment explores the forces shaping the year ahead, from AI-driven growth and consumer resilience to evolving credit conditions and labor market uncertainty, helping leaders prepare for what’s next. Key takeaways include:

• The economic signals that mattered most in 2025 - and why they still matter
  
• How AI, consumers, and credit conditions are shaping 2026
  
• Where risks remain and what to watch in the labor market

Learn how you can move beyond single-point employee benefit solutions and embrace a more holistic approach that combines:

• Credit education to help employees understand and take control of their credit health
• Financial wellness tools to support budgeting and day-to-day financial confidence
• Identity protection to safeguard what employees have worked hard to build

As the credit card landscape evolves, understanding how consumers and businesses are adapting has never been more important.

Our second annual State of Credit Cards Report provides a timely update on key market dynamics and dives into an often-overlooked segment within credit card portfolios: business accounts.

Key takeaways:

• 30+ DPD delinquency rates remained above pre-pandemic levels in 2025.
• Fintechs continue to gain share in the credit card market, posting a 71% YoY increase in account originations.
• Many businesses use consumer credit cards to support business-related activity, making this segment easy for lenders to overlook.

The Regional Economic Health Tracker examines consumer health across the four U.S. census regions. It highlights how regional dynamics, from data center growth to housing costs and credit conditions, are shaping household finances today.

• Regional income, spending, and cost-of-living trends
  
• Housing market performance and price changes
  
• Consumer stress and 30+ DPD balances by product

Gain actionable insights from Experian’s 2026 State of the U.S. Housing Market Report:

• Mortgage market shifts and evolving borrower behaviors
• Affordability pressures and what they mean for homeowners
• Home equity as a key growth lever for lenders
• Macroeconomic trends impacting housing demand and credit

Despite tariff headwinds in 2025, the U.S. economy exceeded expectations and is positioned for continued growth. Improving credit dynamics point to a stronger lending environment in 2026.

• Solid economic momentum heading into the new year
• Improving lending standards and rising credit demand
• Stable delinquency trends support healthier credit conditions

Consumers expect e-commerce experiences to be seamless and secure but, as fraud threats evolve, merchants are struggling to keep pace — and consumers are losing trust in merchants. Drawing on this year’s U.S. identity and fraud insights, this report explores the key factors contributing to the e-commerce trust gap. 

You’ll learn:

• What’s driving consumer concerns in e-commerce.
• Consumers’ preferred security methods for seamless, safe transactions
• Actionable recommendations to enhance merchants’ fraud stacks

The scale of global cyberattacks continues to rise, and 2026 is poised to be the year of AI in cybersecurity.

In our 13th annual Data Breach Industry Forecast, we share our top predictions for the year ahead, including:

• The rise of synthetic identities built from stolen data
• AI overtaking human error as the top cause of breaches
• The growing risk of AI and quantum computing cyberattacks
• Emerging threats like mutating malware, brain hacking and a shrinking gender gap among hackers

Gain insight into the trends shaping the future of data security. Download the full forecast to prepare for what’s ahead.