New integration with Fiserv can help reduce false declines with higher accuracy and less friction
Experian announced the addition of real‑time debit card verification for Experian Link™ through a new collaboration with Fiserv, a leading global provider of payments and financial services technology solutions. „Experian Link enables merchants to authenticate payments by verifying a consumer’s identity with debit card ownership data, providing a more accurate way to authenticate transactions and reduce fraud without slowing down legitimate customers.” – according to the press release.
“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, Fraud & Identity at Experian North America. “By integrating Fiserv’s proprietary debit card data into Experian Link alongside our robust identity and fraud insights, clients can further reduce false declines, lower fraud rates and confidently approve more legitimate customers.”
Experian Link will leverage VerifyNow™ Advantage from Fiserv with newly enhanced verification capabilities that provide bank account and debit card ownership verification in real time. „Fiserv is the first debit data partner to integrate with Experian Link. Additional debit partners are expected to join, further strengthening Experian Link’s coverage and giving merchants even broader protection and insight across the payment ecosystem.” – the company said.
Why reducing false declines matters
As payment fraud grows, merchants face many challenges, including increasingly sophisticated attacks fueled by AI and the costly revenue loss caused by false declines. Generative AI tools now enable fraudsters to scale attacks, mimic consumer behavior and exploit vulnerabilities faster. This surge in AI‑driven fraud pressures merchants to tighten risk controls, but those can often trigger more false declines, unintentionally blocking legitimate customers.
„False declines cost merchants billions annually. Experian Link directly addresses this challenge by tying a user’s digital identity directly to the credit or debit card being presented, delivering a more accurate, real‑time view of whether a customer truly owns the card presented online. With the new Fiserv collaboration enabling instant debit card ownership verification, Experian Link now gives merchants a more complete, data‑driven view of payment trustworthiness across both credit and debit card transactions.” – the company explained.
“Merchants need real‑time intelligence they can trust as payment fraud grows more sophisticated and AI further blurs the line between real and synthetic behavior,” said Dennis Becker, Senior Vice President of Fraud, Data & Analytics Solutions at Fiserv. “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.”
Proven business impact
Since its launch in 2022, Experian Link has helped businesses increase auto-approval rates by up to 10%, with one major U.S. retailer reporting $8 million in additional monthly revenue from transactions that would have otherwise been declined. This complements Experian’s broader suite of fraud prevention solutions, which helped clients avoid an estimated $19 billion in fraud losses globally in 2025.
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