Experian and Fiserv Team Up to Stop AI Fraud Without Blocking Real Customers

Experian announced on May 27, 2026 that Experian Link now delivers real-time debit card verification through a new integration with Fiserv, adding debit card ownership confirmation to a platform that previously focused on credit card and identity verification.

It also addresses a fraud problem that has grown significantly more acute as AI tools have made synthetic identity attacks faster and harder to detect, according to the press release.

The timing of the announcement reflects a specific dynamic in merchant fraud prevention in 2026. Generative AI has lowered the barrier for fraudsters to scale attacks, mimic legitimate consumer behavior, and exploit payment system vulnerabilities at a speed that outpaces traditional detection methods.

The merchant response has had an unintended consequence: more false declines, where legitimate customers are blocked from completing transactions they actually intend to make. That tension is the problem Experian Link is designed to resolve.

By tying a user's digital identity directly to the credit or debit card being presented at checkout, the platform gives merchants a real-time, data-driven view of whether a customer actually owns the card they are using, reducing the need to rely on blunt risk controls that flag legitimate behavior alongside fraudulent behavior.

"As AI accelerates the speed and sophistication of fraud, merchants need precise, instant verification that confirms the customer behind a payment is truly who they say they are without introducing added friction," said Kathleen Peters, Chief Innovation Officer for Fraud and Identity at Experian North America.

The Fiserv Integration

Experian Link now leverages VerifyNow Advantage from Fiserv, providing bank account and debit card ownership verification in real time.

Fiserv is the first debit data partner to integrate with Experian Link, extending coverage from credit card transactions into debit, which represents a significant share of everyday consumer payment volume.

The integration gives merchants a more complete view of payment trustworthiness across both credit and debit card transactions, a gap that previously required separate verification processes or left debit card ownership unconfirmed in real time.

"By combining debit card verification from Fiserv with Experian's identity insights and analytics, we're enabling merchants to validate payments faster and with greater accuracy, strengthening fraud defenses without adding friction for customers," said Dennis Becker, SVP of Fraud, Data and Analytics Solutions at Fiserv.

Additional debit data partners are expected to join Experian Link beyond Fiserv, further expanding the platform's coverage across the payment ecosystem.

The commercial impact of Experian Link is documented from its existing credit card verification deployments. Since launch in 2022, the platform has helped businesses increase auto-approval rates by up to 10%.

One major US retailer reported $8 million in additional monthly revenue from transactions that would have otherwise been declined, a figure that makes the false decline problem concrete at scale.

Experian's broader fraud prevention suite helped clients avoid an estimated $19 billion in fraud losses globally in 2025.

The debit card verification addition extends that protection into a payment channel where real-time ownership confirmation has historically been more limited than in the credit card ecosystem.