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

Not that long ago, the idea of AI agents making purchases for humans sounded like science fiction. Booking flights, renewing subscriptions, filling shopping carts… all before we even ask. But today, this is happening faster than many realise. Autonomous agents can now browse, compare, and buy on behalf of consumers. For merchants, this is a new type of traffic – one that looks human and pays like a customer… but isn’t. Herein lies (another) new problem: how do merchants tell

As I walked down a local high street the other day, the same one I’ve known for years, something looked off. Where once vibrant shopfronts stood, were gaps. There were ‘To Let’ signs on display instead of goods, and familiar names disappearing. Storefronts shuttered and lights off. Across the UK, and indeed globally, it is becoming increasingly likely to see shops closing their doors. The high street is shrinking as many retailers give up completely on their physical presence

Card Issuers today are fighting a battle across four fronts: False positives  that block good customers and bleed interchange Card-not-present (CNP) fraud losses can run six to ten times higher than card present Operational drag  from disputes, card reissues, and call centre costs Cardholder churn  when customers are denied You don’t see all of these on one line of the P&L, but together they erode margin every single day. Now picture a different world. Every e-commerce purch

Refuelling a vehicle has always been a simple process. Pull up to the pump, swipe or tap your card, fill up, and you’re on your way. No...

We are often met with scepticism when we say that consumers typically prefer a little friction in the payment process - things like...

Underage gambling and unauthorised in-app purchases made by children have become growing concerns globally. With their highly engaging...

Just a decade ago, most of us couldn’t fathom leaving home without a wallet or purse. Yet, digital wallets are making this a reality for...

There are a range of industry sectors such as online gaming, gambling, adult entertainment, cryptocurrency, travel and ticketing that are...

A key topic of conversation lately is the significant consumption of energy used by AI systems and how it has become a significant...

When I talk about Burbank’s CPoI ® , one of the questions I am sometimes asked, is Will consumers tap their cards on their phones?    ...

Dynamic (or surge) pricing is the automated adjustment of prices according to fluctuations in demand. Typically, the price is increased...

Any merchant who sells online knows about payments fraud and chargebacks. This is a significant global issue costing over $40 billion a...

Yes, you read the headline correctly. AI is indeed causing online merchants to lose more money than fraud. Ten times more, to be exact....