Observed Signal · Aug 16, 2026 · Market Research · Source: Retail-News · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Visa study: Consumers act more to prevent payment fraud
A Visa-commissioned forsa survey of 1,010 German adults (23 June–3 July 2026) finds growing consumer engagement with payment security and rising trust in mobile payments and AI assistants. Key results include increased customer communication from banks, widespread use of two-factor authentication and biometric methods, and high rates of account-monitoring after suspected fraud. Many respondents are open to delegating tasks to AI agents but want strict limits on their access to payment data. The survey highlights a mix of greater adoption of digital payment tools and persistent demand for control and data protection.
Visa is a major payments company and the survey provides timely consumer security and adoption insights (mobile payments, biometrics, openness to AI agents) relevant to payment providers, banks and fintechs, but it is not a platform policy or technical change that would shift the wider AdTech industry.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Visa commissioned a survey conducted by forsa of 1,010 adults in Germany online from 23 June to 3 July 2026.
- 64% of respondents said they feel well informed by their bank about security and current fraud types (up 10 percentage points vs. previous year).
- 73% regularly check account activity and 73% use two-factor authentication; 55% use biometric methods like fingerprint or face recognition.
- 63% of respondents could imagine delegating tasks to an AI agent, but 61% want to prevent uncontrolled AI access to payment data.
- 55% consider mobile payments at the checkout secure (up six percentage points compared with two years earlier).
Connected Companies & Entities
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Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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Visa Study: Trust in Established Payment Brands Key for Agentic Commerce
A new Visa study reveals that while 72% of US consumers have used an AI assistant, only 23% trust generative AI to independently handle payments. However, trust increases significantly when established payment brands are involved, with 61% willing to entrust Visa with agentic transactions, rising to 68% among 18-34 year-olds and 71% among frequent AI users. The study, conducted by Harris Poll in late May 2026 with 2,065 US consumers, highlights a distinction between trust in AI for product search and the need for reliable payment infrastructure. Visa is developing 'Visa Intelligent Commerce' to build technologies and standards for AI-agent-initiated transactions, focusing on identity verification, authentication, and consumer controls. The findings suggest that agentic commerce is still in its early stages, with a significant acceptance gap between using AI assistants and fully autonomous purchases.
Account Fraud and Phishing Surge in 2025
A t3n report highlights a marked rise in account- and card-related fraud, driven by phishing and smishing attacks that increasingly use AI to personalize messages. Germany’s police statistics (PKS) recorded about 96,400 cases around accounts and payment cards in 2025, a ~5% increase year-on-year, and total losses reached roughly €2.25 billion (up ~65%). Detection and prosecution rates remain low: only about 20% of cases overall led to suspects being identified, and cases likely originating abroad had an investigation rate of just 1.4%. Consumer advocates say banks often refuse reimbursements by alleging gross negligence; the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (vzbv) reported a 54% rise in cybercrime complaints related to financial services. Authorities warn the true number of incidents is much higher because many victims do not file reports.
German Consumers Want AI Shopping Control
A follow-up study by Riverty and Adyen reveals that 49% of German consumers expect AI to handle a large portion of their everyday shopping within the next five years. While 67% understand the concept of AI shopping agents, sentiment is divided, with about a quarter positive and a quarter negative. Control remains key: 21% cite personal control as the main trust factor, 19% fraud protection, 14% data privacy, and 19% would never trust AI for purchases. 48% prefer AI as a shopping co-pilot for product search and recommendations, while only 16% accept fully autonomous purchases. Food and household goods (33%) are the most trusted categories, followed by subscriptions (25%) and ticketing (24%). 51% prefer invoice payment, and willingness to entrust higher budgets has decreased. Human support remains crucial for 56% of consumers.
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