Last January, Equifax announced a definitive agreement to acquire Kount, a digital identity trust and fraud prevention solution provider. On February 11, 2021, another Equifax announcement declared that the acquisition was complete.  

One year after the acquisition, Equifax has made noteworthy progress in combining the strengths of the two organizations to help businesses better engage with their customers online while combating fraud. With plans to move even deeper into the digital enablement space, Equifax is enabling businesses to thrive in a digital-first world with Kount, an Equifax company.  

To learn about what’s in store for the future of digital enablement, PaymentsJournal sat down with Brad Wiskirchen, SVP and GM of Kount, Mark Luber, Chief Product Officer at Equifax, and Tim Sloane, VP of Payments Innovation at Mercator Advisory Group. 

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Bringing together physical and digital identity 

With access to a larger pool of data than either organization had alone, following the acquisition of Kount, Equifax has the combined digital identity and physical identity signals to create a safe and seamless online experience.  

Luber used the example of an auto loan to define physical identity signals. “When you get your auto loan, you are typically in-person for at least certain parts of the [process]. There are a lot of checks that go on throughout that,” he said. “For example, in-person buyers may provide a car dealership with paper proof of identification such as a payroll stub, utility bills, and a driver’s license.” 

On the other hand, digital identity relies on an ongoing stream of data from online interactions. “This is confirming the identity on an ongoing basis. It creates ongoing impressions of [a] consumer’s online behavior [and] creates ongoing confirmation of the identity associated with that person,” Luber added. 

When combined, digital and physical identity become even more powerful.