Australian enterprises increase investment in digital trust

Australian businesses are prioritising trust, safety and security in digital environments more aggressively than their global counterparts, according to new research from TELUS Digital.

The "Safety in Numbers" report, produced in partnership with Ryan Strategic Advisory, highlights how enterprises across Australia are ramping up investment in fraud detection, identity verification (ID), and Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols to protect customers and maintain confidence amid rising threats.

"Gaining customer trust has become a defining factor for providing exceptional customer experience," the report notes, adding that Australia is outpacing other markets in these initiatives as part of broader scam prevention frameworks.

The report found that 52 per cent of Australian businesses plan to significantly increase investment in fraud detection over the next 12 months, compared with 40 per cent globally. Meanwhile, 46 per cent of Australian respondents indicated plans to boost KYC investment (versus 34 per cent globally), and 35 per cent are increasing their ID verification budgets (in line with the 36 per cent global average).

Ljubiša Velikić, Vice President of Trust and Safety at TELUS Digital, said the findings highlight a global shift in priorities: "Even as enterprises face mounting economic challenges, maintaining a safe and secure environment for their customers remains a top priority, as the risks of not doing so are simply too high."

The motivations behind these increased investments are clear. A total of 37 per cent of Australian businesses cited data breaches as a primary driver, while 25 per cent pointed to the costly financial impact of fraud. The need to meet expanding regulatory obligations also emerged as a key concern.

Despite growing reliance on automation, the report revealed that most organisations are deploying hybrid models to manage risk. Across fraud detection, KYC, content moderation and ID verification, a combination of human expertise and technology remains the preferred approach.

Globally, 44 per cent of enterprises use technology-based solutions for fraud detection, but many still lean on human involvement. For KYC, 49 per cent use a hybrid approach. Content moderation, a more nuanced area, sees 21 per cent of organisations relying primarily on human-led services, and 44 per cent using a combined method. For ID verification, 61 per cent globally reported using both human and technological systems.

Michael Ringman, Chief Information Officer at TELUS Digital, underscored the importance of robust ID verification systems in particular. "Customers expect that the companies they interact with will keep their private information safe and secure. In the presence of the evolving threat landscape, sophisticated and reliable ID verification is essential," he said.

The report also identifies the major challenges facing businesses as they build out their trust and safety functions. Chief among them is cost, with 30 per cent of Australian businesses saying managing expenses is the biggest hurdle when expanding their capabilities across digital channels.

This concern is echoed globally, where 27 per cent of all respondents listed cost as the number one challenge. Other global concerns include technical complexity (21 per cent), integration with existing systems (20 per cent), and lack of internal expertise (16 per cent).

"Leaders are facing pressure to tighten budgets while keeping pace with evolving compliance standards," said Peter Ryan, President and Principal Analyst at Ryan Strategic Advisory. "These challenges are making it harder to access the technical talent needed to deliver and maintain effective solutions."

Velikić added that as threats evolve, so too must the response from businesses. "As organisations work to strengthen their approach to trust and safety, they need partners with deep expertise who also understand the complexities of implementing and scaling these solutions," he said. "It's increasingly clear that flexibility, experience, and the ability to manage end-to-end delivery are essential to helping enterprises stay resilient in a constantly evolving risk landscape."

Overall, the report suggests that while cost and complexity remain persistent obstacles, Australian businesses are responding proactively to the trust challenge. By increasing investment and blending technology with human insight, many are working to ensure customer safety in an increasingly hostile digital world.