New research from global AI-first cloud communications platform Infobip reveals a growing surge in AI-powered fraud and enterprise defenses. Analysing billions of interactions globally, Infobip’s 2026 Fraud & Security Report highlights a year of dramatic contrasts. There have been record volumes of blocked fraudulent traffic alongside the rapid scaling of intelligent, AI-powered defenses.

The report reveals that while fraudsters are using AI to scale and personalize harmful messaging, leading to a 77 per cent increase in detected threats, businesses are responding in kind. Adoption of AI-powered fraud detection grew by 71 per cent year-on-year, while pattern-based detection increased by 105 per cent, underscoring a shift toward adaptive security.

The report demonstrates the impact of AI-first security. Leading UK-based clothing brand NEXT is leveraging Infobip Signals, an AI and machine learning-powered solution designed to combat artificially inflated traffic, helping protect customers against fraud.

Raz Razaq, Head of Customer Contact Experience Technology at NEXT, said,“As digital engagement continues to grow, maintaining trusted and secure customer communications is more important than ever. By integrating Infobip Signals, we have strengthened our ability to identify fraudulent activity and deliver reliable messaging experiences at scale. AI-driven protection is becoming a critical part of building customer trust in an increasingly complex threat landscape.”

Key findings from the 2026 report:

• Phishing accounts for 49 per cent  of blocked harmful content, with volume growing 94 per cent  year-on-year.
• Interactions with Network APIs, including SIM Swap and Number Verification, grew 91 per cent , with the finance sector leading adoption.

Matija Ražem, Chief Commercial Telecom Officer at Infobip, said, “Fraudsters are using AI to automate and scale campaigns faster than ever, but AI-powered protection is evolving just as fast. The significant growth in AI-driven detection proves that leading organizations are no longer treating security as an afterthought, they are building it directly into their communication infrastructure.“