Experian and Fiserv have expanded the Experian Link authentication platform to include real-time debit card verification, using Fiserv's VerifyNow Advantage service to confirm that the individual presenting a debit card in an online transaction is its legitimate owner. Fiserv becomes the first debit data partner to integrate with Experian Link, with further partners described as expected to join over time under an open partnership model.
Experian Link was launched in 2022 as a mechanism for authenticating payments by connecting a consumer's digital identity to card ownership data. Until now, the platform's verification coverage was limited to credit card transactions. The addition of debit card support extends that capability to a significantly broader range of consumer payment activity, given the widespread use of debit instruments across the US market.
Balancing fraud controls and approval rates
The integration addresses one of the more persistent operational challenges in payments fraud management: the trade-off between tightening authentication controls and maintaining acceptable approval rates. Stricter verification measures can reduce fraud exposure but simultaneously increase false declines, where legitimate transactions are blocked. The commercial cost of false declines, in lost revenue and customer friction, has become a measurable concern for merchants.
Since its 2022 launch, Experian Link has been reported to help businesses increase auto-approval rates by up to 10%. One major US retailer attributed USD 8 million in additional monthly revenue to transactions that would otherwise have been declined under previous controls. Experian's broader fraud prevention portfolio is reported to have helped clients avoid an estimated USD 19 billion in fraud losses globally in 2025.
The VerifyNow Advantage service from Fiserv performs bank account and debit card ownership verification in real time, providing merchants and payment processors with a means to confirm ownership at the point of transaction rather than through post-event review. This real-time capability is central to the integration's value proposition, as delayed verification creates windows of exposure that fraudsters can exploit.
Open model for further expansion
The structure of the Experian Link partnership model is designed to accommodate multiple data contributors. The open architecture allows additional debit data providers to connect to the platform progressively, broadening coverage as further integrations are completed. No timeline has been specified for when additional partners may be announced or onboarded.
The collaboration reflects a broader industry direction towards layered identity and payment verification, where ownership data, digital identity signals, and account-level information are combined to authenticate transactions without introducing friction for genuine customers. Whether the open model attracts further debit data partners at scale will determine how comprehensively Experian Link can address debit fraud across the US payments ecosystem.
