A Growing Small Business Financial Fraud Problem

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.

Fraud doesn’t happen in silos — and neither should your defense. 

Watch this product demo to see how Experian’s connected fraud prevention solution brings behavioral analytics, identity verification and digital intelligence together to: 

• Detect and block suspicious behavior early 
• Validate identities in real time 
• Assess device, phone and email integrity 
• Unify fraud signals across the customer journey