BioCatch Launches AiRE to Detect Malicious AI Agents as UK Banks Tighten Security

BioCatch has launched BioCatch AiRE to help financial institutions distinguish between human users and AI agents in real-time. As major UK banks begin blocking autonomous agents over liability concerns, the ability to identify and verify the intent of non-human entities becomes a critical security requirement for digital banking platforms facing sophisticated automated threats.

What was announced

The new capability, BioCatch AiRE (Agentic AI Risk Essentials), allows banks to differentiate between legitimate and malicious AI agents before funds are moved. This tool is delivered through existing customer integrations and utilizes continuous session monitoring to assess behavior. The system identifies specific signals such as synthetic inputs, unusual interaction patterns, browser permission profiles, and agent infrastructure. It is also capable of detecting cloud-based agents like Muse.

Recent data indicates the urgency of this technology; a survey of 3,000 digital banking customers conducted by Datos Insights found that 56% believe banks should be held liable for unauthorized AI payments. Furthermore, 63% of respondents stated that the risk of an AI agent being manipulated by fraudsters would discourage them from using the technology entirely. Internal BioCatch data reveals that nearly half of detected agentic interactions occur during account opening, with the remainder spread across logins, account management, and high-value transactions like wire transfers and faster payments.

This follows reports that major UK institutions, including HSBC, Barclays, and Lloyds, have already moved to block AI agents from accessing customer accounts due to fraud and liability risks. A separate survey of global banking leaders found that 80% of institutions have already encountered attacks utilizing agentic AI, while 84% believe these agents could represent the industry’s largest exploitable vulnerability within the next year.

"Whether banks plan to block all agents, grant access to only certain, pre-approved agents, or open the floodgates and allow any agent to access their platforms, those institutions must be able to first reliably detect whether the entity controlling a session is a human or an agent and if the intent of that entity is genuine or malicious,"

Ayelet Eliezer

The companies involved

BioCatch is a fraud prevention specialist focused on behavioral biometrics and digital identity. Now under the ownership of Permira Advisers LLP, the company has established itself as a key player in detecting financial crime by analyzing how users interact with devices rather than just what credentials they hold. Its technology is used globally by major financial institutions to combat account takeover, social engineering scams, and now, the emerging threat of malicious automated agents.

Datos Insights, which collaborated on the research accompanying this launch, is a global advisory firm providing analysis for the financial services, insurance, and technology industries. Owned by Pamlico Capital, the firm provides deep-dive insights into market trends and consumer behavior. Both companies occupy significant positions in the fintech ecosystem, providing the data and security infrastructure necessary for banks to navigate the transition toward increasingly automated and AI-driven customer interactions.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has extensively tracked BioCatch’s expansion into specialized fraud prevention sectors. We recently covered how BioCatch Launches Global Advisory Board to Combat Government Payment Fraud, highlighting their efforts to protect public sector disbursements. The company’s data has also shed light on regional trends, such as when BioCatch Data Reveals 76% of Italian Banks Suffer $10M+ Annual Fraud Losses as Scams Surge in Brazil.

Wider industry research has also pointed to the friction caused by rapid innovation; FF News reported that Half of U.S. Banks Report Client Issues Following New Tech Rollouts, Research Finds. Additionally, the strategic direction of the sector will be a focal point as Global Banking Leaders to Converge in London for Retail Bank Transformation Europe 2026.

What this means

The decision by major UK lenders to block AI agents highlights a fundamental tension in modern banking: the desire for automation versus the fear of unquantifiable liability. If banks cannot distinguish between a customer’s helpful digital assistant and a fraudster’s malicious bot, they will likely default to total exclusion, potentially stifling the "agentic" economy before it matures. This announcement places significant pressure on other security providers to move beyond static bot detection toward intent-based behavioral analysis. The central question for the industry remains whether regulatory frameworks will evolve fast enough to define liability for AI-driven transactions, or if the fear of "unauthorized" payments will keep the banking ecosystem closed to autonomous agents for the foreseeable future.