Experian Acquires AtData to Strengthen Email Identity and Fraud Prevention

Experian has acquired AtData, a New York-based data and intelligence company specializing in email identity, adding over 10 billion email addresses to its consumer data assets. The deal was announced at the start of this week, though financial terms have not been disclosed.

AtData has operated for more than 25 years building proprietary technology that validates and enriches first-party email data. Its activity network processes more than 150 billion deterministic signals each month, which Experian says will complement its existing consumer data, analytics, and decisioning platforms. The acquisition follows a partnership between the two companies that has spanned more than 15 years.

Jeff Softley, CEO of Experian North America, said verified, real-time email signals represent one of the most powerful digital identity indicators, and that integrating AtData’s capabilities advances the company’s goal of building what he described as the most comprehensive and privacy-centric identity infrastructure. He added that the deal fuels the company’s AI strategy by creating a more integrated and durable identity solution.

Tom Burke, CEO of AtData, said joining Experian would allow the company to combine complementary strengths and deepen the intelligence capabilities that power confident, real-world decisions. AtData’s solutions are delivered in real time via APIs and partner connectors, and are designed to support privacy- and compliance-ready decisioning at scale.

For Experian, the acquisition continues a pattern of strengthening its fraud and identity stack through external deals. The company acquired behavioral biometrics specialist NeuroID in 2024 and more recently partnered with Incode to embed AI-powered fraud prevention into its platform. It also partnered with Sardine to strengthen behavioral biometrics capabilities in the UK and Ireland.

Email address data occupies a growing role in digital identity verification, particularly for fraud prevention during account creation and transaction authentication. Because email addresses tend to be persistent and behavior-rich identifiers, they can surface patterns associated with synthetic identities or stolen credentials. AtData’s signal network is designed to make that intelligence available in real time, enabling organizations to assess risk at the point of a customer interaction rather than after the fact.

Experian describes the combined offering as an integrated identity solution that will support clients across the full customer journey, from initial acquisition to ongoing engagement, fraud detection, and risk decisioning. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker EXPN and operates across 33 countries.

Sources: Experian, AtData

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By Cass Kennedy