A survey of banking leaders on fraud risk: 2026 Germany edition
German banks today contend with an ever-increasing onslaught of fraud attempts, widespread adoption of faster payments creating new opportunities for fraud, readily available AI tools escalating the efficiency, efficacy, and reach of attacks, and increasingly organized criminal networks taking advantage wherever they can.
BioCatch commissioned a survey of 100 leaders working in fraud and financial crime departments at German banks. It offers a snapshot of how fraud and financial crime leaders across Germany see the moment: where the strain is building, which threats worry them most, and how ready they feel for the regulatory and technological shifts ahead.
In these results, you’ll discover:
- Fraud losses increasing: Half of all those surveyed, 65% of those on fraud teams, and 67% of German banking C-suite executives report fraud losses increasing at their organization, while 66% estimate their bank’s annual fraud losses exceed $10 million (or €8.52 million).
- Manual reviews remain the norm: German respondents reported reviewing the majority of fraud cases manually, notably above the continental average of 46%.
- Reimbursement still infrequent but expected to increase: Only 36% of those surveyed said their bank currently reimbursed at least half their customers who fall victim to a scam — well below both European counterparts (53%) and the global average (44%). Nearly three-fourths of respondents, however, reported their bank taking proactive action to change reimbursement policies ahead of new requirements under PSD3/PSR.
- No fear of agentic AI: A resounding 84% of German banking leaders said they felt their bank was prepared for agentic AI attacks.
Download the full report to see the full results and accompanying analysis from our global fraud intelligence team.
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