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Experian UK Fraud, Financial and Identity Crime Report 2026

Download our latest report to understand how to navigate the next generation of fraud and financial crime risk

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If UK businesses feel confident in their efforts to tackle fraud and financial crime, why are fraud losses still rising? Are we facing a ‘reality gap’?

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the fraud landscape at an unprecedented pace. While organisations report growing confidence in their ability to tackle fraud and financial crime, rising losses suggest a widening gap between perceived readiness and the reality of increasingly sophisticated threats. As fraudsters embrace new technologies and digital ecosystems continue to evolve, businesses must rethink how they protect customers, manage risk and build trust.

Drawing on insights from more than 2,000 UK consumers and 500 UK businesses, the 2026 Experian UK Fraud, Financial and Identity Crime Report explores the trends defining the future of fraud prevention. From AI-enabled fraud and the convergence of fraud and financial crime, to digital identities and the rise of agentic AI, the report examines how organisations can navigate emerging risks while delivering secure, seamless customer experiences.

Download the report now to equip your organisation with the knowledge and tools needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Download the full report now >

In this year's report, we cover:

Reality gap

Confidence vs capability

AI arms race

Fraudsters vs business

Agentic commerce

The rise of AI agents

Digital identity

Trust, privacy and control

A sneak peek into:

Experian UK Fraud, Financial and Identity Crime Report 2026: Navigating the next generation of fraud and financial crime risk

Foreword

If UK businesses feel confident in their efforts to tackle fraud and financial crime, why are fraud losses still rising? Are we facing a ‘reality gap’?

This is one of the tensions that emerged from our annual survey exploring the impact of fraud and financial crime on UK businesses and consumers. Organisations across the economy reported a high level of confidence in their ability to manage fraud risk. Yet overall losses from fraud are on the rise. This begs the question of whether a gap is emerging between readiness and reality.

Tackling fraud certainly remains a priority for organisations, with almost three-quarters (73%) saying they will be expecting their fraud management budgets to increase in 2026. But are these investments targeting the right areas to address the changing nature of fraud?

It’s clear that businesses are waging an accelerating technological ‘arms race’ against sophisticated AI-enabled fraudsters, as well as threats from authorised push payment (APP) fraud, synthetic identities and account takeovers. While businesses explore and test the potential applications of AI within their fraud prevention and detection systems, the threats they are seeking to address are constantly shifting and evolving.