Insights

There’s been an interesting shift in some recent payments reports. Some of them suggest that fraud figures could be improving. For example, reported fraud incidents are declining in certain categories, and overall volumes appear to be stabilising after years of steady growth. On the surface, that points to progress. But when you look more closely at the data, a different picture starts to emerge. The rate of fraud per order is increasing. False positives are rising. And almos

Everywhere you look right now, the same pressure shows up in different ways. Groceries cost more, shipping costs more, insurance costs, utilities cost more.  But one of the fastest growing costs in ecommerce is almost invisible to consumers - fraud. Not just the headline grabbing kind, but every day, background, operational costs of selling online. And the uncomfortable truth is this: consumers are already paying for it. The myth that online retail is cheaper From the outside

I recently spent three days at MPE Berlin 2026 across a mix of panels, keynotes, conversations and many meetings with merchants, payment providers and partners. What came through consistently was not a lack of technology or ideas, but a shared problem: businesses that accept payments online are still making critical decisions without certainty. Fraud continues to rise, but at the same time, legitimate customers are being declined, and revenue is being lost because risk syste

Retail fraud is usually framed as an external threat, professional criminals, stolen cards, organised attacks. And those risks are real. But a growing share of ecommerce losses is coming from somewhere far less obvious: customers themselves. According to Ravelin’s State of Refund Abuse Report , more than one in four online shoppers admit to exploiting refund policies. Even more striking, 46% of those who attempt it say they succeed every time. At that point, something changes

For many people, the Christmas is the season for joy, connection and giving…  but, it can also bring a much less festive guest – online payment fraud. As billions in online purchases surge through online checkouts in just a few short weeks, the stakes skyrocket for everyone involved.  The holiday season doesn’t just amplify opportunity for retailers, consumers, and issuers; it magnifies risk. For retailers: more orders = more opportunities for fraudsters For most retailers,