Sumsub has joined the World Economic Forum’s Unicorn Community, an invite-only network of private technology firms valued at more than US$1 billion and seen as shaping the future digital economy.
The identity verification and fraud prevention company said its co-founder and chief executive, Andrew Sever, will attend the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Annual Meeting in Davos, where he is expected to contribute to discussions on digital trust, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven fraud and access to digital services.
Identity fraud grows more sophisticated
Sumsub’s inclusion in the Unicorn Community comes as identity fraud becomes more complex and harder to detect. According to the company’s Identity Fraud Report 2025–2026, sophisticated fraud cases rose 180 per cent year on year, while multi-step attacks accounted for 28 per cent of all identity fraud incidents in 2025, up from 10 per cent a year earlier.
The report said these attacks now span the entire customer lifecycle, reducing the effectiveness of one-time identity checks and increasing the need for continuous, real-time monitoring.
With more than 4,000 clients globally and millions of identity checks conducted each year, Sumsub said it brings operational experience across multiple regions and regulatory environments to the WEF community.
At the 2026 Annual Meeting, the company will focus on three areas: countering AI-powered fraud at scale, improving digital inclusion through smarter verification, and helping to shape next-generation AI anti-fraud tools through international collaboration.
AI-powered fraud and digital inclusion
Sumsub said it is addressing threats such as deepfakes, synthetic identities and large-scale money mulling operations by monitoring user activity across the full customer journey. The company is also developing defences against AI-driven fraud agents, which can conduct coordinated attacks with limited human input.
Beyond fraud prevention, the firm is positioning digital inclusion as a core priority. Its non-document verification and reusable identity tools are designed for markets where official documents are limited or of poor quality, enabling legitimate users to access digital services while maintaining compliance standards.
The company also highlighted its participation in initiatives aimed at raising awareness of digital exclusion as a risk to global economic growth.
Research and global collaboration
To tackle emerging threats, Sumsub has invested in longer-term research partnerships. Its AI Academic Programme, launched in 2025, includes collaborations with institutions such as Nanyang Technological University on technologies including deepfake detection and image protection.
It also works with international bodies, including Interpol, on initiatives focused on identifying new fraud typologies and improving cross-border responses to AI-enabled crime.
“We are grateful to join the World Economic Forum Unicorn Community at a moment when trust in the digital world is being fundamentally tested,” Sever said. “AI is reshaping both fraud and defence, and our mission is to stay ahead of these threats while fighting digital exclusion.”
