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AI-enabled fraud tops poll of risks outpacing firms’ ability to respond

Friday, November 13, 2026 — 18:39:27 (UTC)

AI-enabled fraud tops poll of risks outpacing firms’ ability to respond

AI-enabled fraud accounted for 56% of responses across two Financial Crime 360 polls. In a separate survey of 100 senior UK financial crime decision-makers, 41% said the industry lacked practical guidance on implementing AI governance.

LONDON, UK, 13 November 2026 - AI-enabled fraud was the most frequently selected risk rising fastest relative to firms’ ability to respond in two polls at Financial Crime 360. The findings are published today in The Financial Crime Landscape 2026/27 Report by Payments Intelligence, the research and analysis team at The Payments Association.

The report examines how payments firms can keep pace with AI-enabled fraud while overseeing the AI they use to detect it. It recommends assigning an accountable owner to each AI system used in fraud controls, documenting when staff should intervene and tracking whether the system misses fraud or blocks legitimate payments.

The research also highlights the role of intelligence sharing. In a separate poll during the event’s Fraud Strategy session, 63% of respondents selected real-time data sharing between firms as the factor most likely to determine the national Fraud Strategy’s success.

Benjamin David, Head of Intelligence at The Payments Association, said: “AI-enabled fraud was the risk most often identified in our event polls as rising faster than firms could respond. In our separate Pulse Survey, two in five financial crime decision-makers said the industry lacked practical guidance on AI governance. For payments firms, that puts two questions on the agenda. Can their defences keep pace with how fraudsters use AI, and can they show that the AI they use to detect fraud is working?

“Real-time data sharing was also the most frequently chosen factor in the national Fraud Strategy’s success. For the industry, the test is whether a warning spotted by one firm can reach another in time for it to act.”

The report also examines where firms want greater regulatory clarity, including how to handle disputes over payments initiated by AI agents. It recommends working through cases involving unclear authority, execution errors and fraud to identify where current processes need clarification.

Financial Crime 360 is The Payments Association’s conference on how the payments industry prevents and responds to financial crime. The November 2026 event brought together more than 1,000 attendees, with sessions covering AI-enabled fraud, regulatory preparedness and intelligence sharing. Live polls and interviews from the conference helped inform the report’s findings and recommendations.

The Financial Crime Landscape 2026/27 Report is available at: thepaymentsassociation.org/article/the-financial-crime-landscape-2026-27-report/

ENDS

Notes to editors

The findings come from distinct respondent groups. The 56% figure refers to responses across two Financial Crime 360 session polls. The 63% figure comes from the event’s Fraud Strategy session poll. The 41% figure comes from the separate Pulse Survey, conducted by Opinium for The Payments Association between 30 June and 20 July 2026.

About The Payments Association

The Payments Association (UK& EU) is a community for companies across the payments ecosystem, bringing together industry leaders and innovators to help shape the future of payments and create a combined network of more than 350 member organisations. 

The association works closely with industry stakeholders, including the Bank of England, the FCA, HM Treasury, the Payment Systems Regulator, Pay.UK, UK Finance and Innovate Finance, representing industry perspectives and contributing to policy and regulatory discussions. 

Its major events include PAY360, the PAY360 Awards and Financial Crime 360, alongside a wider programme of conferences, roundtables and member events. 

The Payments Association’s Working Groups bring members together to address key issues affecting the industry, while Payments Intelligence provides research, data-led insight and strategic analysis on developments across the payments landscape

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Source: Company press release.

Categories: Reports and research