The European Banking Authority concluded that payment fraud remained the most significant issue for consumers in the European Union. In its ninth biennial consumer trends report, on Wednesday 26 March 2025, the EBA identified payment fraud, indebtedness and unwarranted de-risking as the key challenges affecting financial consumers across the 27 EU member states.

Payment fraud

The EBA stated that the persistence of payment fraud reflected the emergence of new types of scams, particularly social engineering techniques. Fraudsters increasingly manipulated consumers into making payments by exploiting vulnerabilities in security procedures. They adapted their methods to bypass strong customer authentication requirements, which EU law mandates to prevent unauthorised transactions.

Rising indebtedness

Indebtedness emerged as the second most pressing issue. The EBA found that the increasing popularity of “buy-now-pay-later” credit and other short-term lending products contributed to rising levels of consumer debt. The report mentioned that inadequate creditworthiness assessments by lenders and insufficient disclosure of pre-contractual information were major contributing factors to this trend.

Unwarranted de-risking

Unwarranted de-risking was identified as the third key issue, with more consumers encountering difficulties in opening and maintaining payment accounts. The EBA found that access to these accounts was essential for participation in the EU economy. The report highlighted that the problem manifested through the refusal to onboard new customers and the offboarding of existing ones. Vulnerable groups, including migrants, refugees, the homeless, cross-border workers and individuals with poor financial histories, were the most affected by these practices.

The EBA stated that it would assess potential measures in 2025/26 to address these issues and enhance consumer protection across the EU.