FOURTHLINE RESEARCH
Consumers trust their banks
anks are the most widely trusted institution, with 73% of people trusting their bank to handle their money securely and 60% trust it to act in their best interests.
Fraud results in lost customers
wenty-eight percent of European fraud victims switched banks afterwards. Trust is what stops a fraud event becoming a lost customer.
Generational exposure
30% of 18-24s and 28% of 25-34s have been targeted by AI-generated scams, compared with 8% of over-55s, while only 37% of 18-24s worry fraud is getting more sophisticated, compared with 56% of over-55s.
Repeat identity checks
land best in the markets that run them most. In France and Spain who run the most repeat checks, customers were most reassured. Germany and Italy run the fewest and respond least warmly to them.
The branch is not dead
Fifty-four percent would rather verify in person than on a phone when opening an account, and there was a majority for in-person in every EU market surveyed.
Humans are preferred over artificial intelligence
o verify documents: 61% trust AI less than a human reviewing the same documents, and just 9% preferred an AI.
Biometrics
Humans are most comfortable with biometrics as an authentication method, using technology as varied as iris scanners, fingerprints and facial recognition. Biometrics lead in the UK at 35% and Spain at 34% but fall to 23% in France and the Netherlands.
EU Digital Identity Wallet
3% of EU consumers say they know a lot or a little about it, and 35% have never heard of it at all.
Just 19%
of those surveyed trust GDPR to protect their data rights, which is down from last year’s 26%.
01
Europeans will trade speed for safety
78% of Europeans say they would accept a slower, more thorough verification process if it meaningfully reduced their fraud risk. Frustration with authentication is low, 45% report none at all, and when friction does irritate people, it's because it fails, not because it's slow. The industry's obsession with frictionless experience is out of step with what customers actually want.
02
Banks have the trust
required for fraud prevention
Banks remain the most trusted institution for financial security, with 73% of Europeans confident their money is handled securely, but that trust fell nine points in a single year. Communication is the critical differentiator: customers who understand why extra security steps are taken are more likely to stay, and 28% of fraud victims switched banks after an incident. Trust is an asset with a diminishing balance, and banks need to spend it wisely.
03
Repeat identity checks land best in the markets that run them most
Familiarity with re-verification drives acceptance of it: in France and Spain, where repeat checks are most common, customers are most likely to say those checks made them feel more secure. In Germany and Italy, where checks are least frequent, the reassurance effect is weakest. With AMLR periodic review obligations applying from July 2027, institutions that build the habit now will face less resistance later.
04
Europeans want options
in proving who they are
Fifty-four percent of Europeans prefer to verify their identity in person when opening an account, and 61% trust a human reviewer over AI to assess the same documents. Biometrics are the most used and most preferred digital method, while passwords are widely used but rarely chosen, 49% use them, only 16% want to. There is no single European authentication habit; national preferences vary significantly across every dimension.
Methodology: Opinium Research conducted this survey on behalf of Fourthline and Cognito between 15 and 31 August 2026. A total of 6,000 adults aged 18 and over were surveyed online, comprising nationally representative samples of 1,000 respondents in each of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. Results in each market were weighted to be nationally representative on age and gender. Where figures are described as European, they refer to the combined sixmarket sample rather than to Europe as a whole. Year-on-year comparisons are drawn from the equivalent wave conducted in 2025. Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding, and questions allowing multiple responses will exceed it. Opinium Research is a founding member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Under those rules, information including fieldwork dates, methodology, sample size and composition, and data tables showing the full text of questions asked and the answers given is made available on request for survey results that have entered the public domain.
