An independent global study finds that organisations meeting verified trust criteria achieve 51% higher transaction conversion and 43% lower fraud losses.

DENVER, March 17, 2026 – Ping Identity, a leader in securing digital identities for the world’s largest enterprises, released independent research showing that organisations that have operationalised continuous, contextual identity verification materially outperform peers across revenue growth, fraud reduction, compliance readiness, and workforce productivity as AI-driven interactions scale.

The white paper, conducted by International Data Corporation (IDC) and sponsored by Ping Identity, highlights a clear maturity gap between perception and execution, while more than half of organisations believe they lead in digital trust, only a small fraction has operationalised continuous, contextual identity verification at scale.

Based on a global survey of 794 organisations, IDC found that enterprises meeting verified trust criteria delivered statistically significant performance advantages across core enterprise metrics:

• Customer registration conversion: 51% higher
• Compliance readiness: 44% stronger
• Fraud losses: 43% lower
• Workforce onboarding time: 47% faster 

The full IDC White Paper, sponsored by Ping Identity, Closing the Trust Gap: Achieving Digital Confidence Across People, AI, and Every Interaction, #US54245026, February 2026, is available for download here.

What is verified trust, and why is it important?

IDC defines verified trust as “a continuous assurance that every digital interaction, whether human or machine/AI agent, is tied to an independently verified identity and remains trusted over time.” It enforces continuous, contextual verification for every identity-sensitive event using signals such as zero-knowledge biometrics with liveness detection, device posture, behavioural intelligence, and AI-aware risk analysis.

According to the white paper, this model “transforms identity from a static gate into a dynamic trust fabric.” This shift moves identity from a perimeter authentication event to a runtime control plane governing every authorisation decision.

“In today’s threat landscape, identity can no longer be treated as a single authentication event. In an AI-mediated enterprise, every authorisation decision must be continuously verified, contextualised, and governed,” said Peter Barker, Chief Product Officer at Ping Identity. “This research confirms that organisations embracing continuous, contextual verification reduce risk while unlocking measurable business value. Verified trust is how enterprises close the gap between confidence and control in an AI-driven world.”

Closing the Verified Trust Gap 

Despite the measurable gains, IDC found a significant maturity gap between perception and reality. The study highlights several critical divides between leaders and early-stage adopters:

• Perception vs. reality: 51% of organisations believe they are ahead of peers in establishing trusted digital identity, yet only 9% meet IDC’s criteria for verified trust leaders.
• Verification coverage: 69% of leaders verify 75-100% of trust flows, compared to 16-19% of early-stage adopters.
• Adoption at scale: 94% of leaders operate at enterprise scale across trust flows, while early-stage organisations remain confined to pilot deployments.
• Passwordless maturity: Leaders embrace biometrics, passkeys, and digital wallets at 80–83%, while starters hover below 30%.

“Verified trust is no longer a design choice – it’s the prerequisite for operating at scale in AI driven environments,” said Emanuel Figueroa, Senior Research Analyst at IDC. “As AI increases autonomy and complexity, identity becomes the mechanism for control, accountability, and confidence. Organisations that establish this foundation early will move faster with less risk; those that don’t will accumulate cost, friction, and regulatory exposure over time.”

As enterprises accelerate AI adoption, verified trust across human and AI identities is foundational to maintaining control and accountability across every interaction. Ping Identity enables enterprises to operationalise verified trust across workforce, customer, partner, and AI identities—establishing a unified trust control plane that adapts in real time as risk, behaviour, and machine interactions evolve. 

About Ping Identity

At Ping, we make it possible to trust every digital moment—moments with customers, employees, partners, and non-human identities. Whether you’re securing millions of users, fighting sophisticated fraud, simplifying third-party access, or embracing passwordless experiences and verifiable credentials, establishing trust shouldn’t slow you down. Our enterprise-grade identity platform is built for scale, speed, and flexibility—and works seamlessly with your existing tech stack across cloud, hybrid, and on-prem. We help innovators like you accelerate growth and confidently leverage AI—making life easier for your developers, users, IT teams, and partners. With Ping, all your digital experiences start with trust. Learn more at pingidentity.com.