A fraud rule that works well for your home market may cause problems when the customer base changes. You can end up accepting costly fraud or rejecting good customers without noticing the pattern.
Stripe's 22 September 2026 card-fraud analysis looks at transactions on its platform from January 2022 to March 2026. It describes substantial regional differences and connects changes in authentication practices with lower fraud in several markets.
Read the findings within their scope
Stripe reports a 21% decline in card-fraud rates for European businesses on its platform from 2022 to 2025. It reports a 27% decline for Great Britain over that period, while also describing variation within Europe.
These are findings from Stripe's transaction data. They are not a measurement of every payment provider or a forecast of your own future losses. Treat them as a reason to inspect your results.
The analysis discusses 3D Secure and regional mandates, but an observed association does not establish that one control explains every change in fraud.
Look at approvals and disputes together
Our suggested review starts with a consistent reporting period and your own transaction mix. Compare successful payments, authentication completion, declines and fraud-related disputes by relevant market.
Be clear about what each grouping measures. Merchant location, issuing-bank location and a customer's billing country are different fields and can produce different comparisons.
Allow time for disputes to arrive. Comparing a new market's first week of sales with an established market's mature dispute data can give false reassurance.
Check the customer journey when authentication appears
Use the provider's approved test routes to examine the checkout when authentication is required. Does the customer see a clear next step? Can they return successfully after completing it?
Include mobile devices and the payment methods used in the market you are entering. A technical failure in the return flow may look like a fraud-rule problem when you review the final decline figures.
Give support staff a way to identify the stage where the payment stopped. They should be able to help a legitimate customer without requesting verification codes or bypassing safeguards.
Change rules with a measurable reason
If you identify an issue, make a limited change and document the expected effect. Review acceptance, losses and support contacts together after enough time has passed.
A rule that improves completion but increases fraud needs a cost assessment. A rule that blocks more payments needs evidence that it is stopping the intended activity.
For a smaller business, the first improvement may simply be better reporting. Split out the markets that matter, use consistent definitions and involve your payment provider when the pattern is unclear.
Stripe's report shows why a global average can hide useful detail. Your own payment and dispute history should decide which part of that detail deserves action.
Reporting checked on 13 October 2026. Recommendations are our assessment of how merchants can use the report.
