Bank of Ireland says AI checked 1 billion card payments and stopped €9.7m of fraud

Bank of Ireland says its artificial intelligence system checked 1 billion card payments and stopped €9.7m of fraud. The bank says the system scores each payment in a fraction of a second, before the payment goes through. If your bank has ever asked you to confirm a purchase, this is the kind of tool behind it.

What the bank says

Beyond fraud, the bank reports other uses of AI. Customers received 127 million automated spending insights in 2025, such as budget alerts. In its call centres, AI tools cut call transfers by 40%, according to the bank. Fewer transfers should mean less time bouncing between agents.

Who it affects

Anyone who uses a Bank of Ireland card is touched by these checks. The same kind of automated screening is common across banking, so the lesson reaches well beyond one bank. A request to verify a payment is often a computer flagging something that looks unusual, not a person reviewing your account.

What is not known yet

The material does not say what period the 1 billion payments covers. It does not explain how the system decides a payment looks risky, or how often it wrongly flags a genuine purchase. The figures also come from the bank itself, and no outside check is mentioned.

What to do

• Answer verification requests from your bank quickly.
• Keep your phone number and email on file up to date.
• Use the bank's own app or official number if you doubt a message.