Mobai Partners with NTNU to Combat Digital Fraud in Norway

Facial biometrics company Mobai has become the primary biometric technology partner in a new research initiative aimed at combating fraud in the financial sector. This partnership is part of the establishment of the Secure Anti-Fraud Excellence Center (SAFE) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Gjøvik. The project is supported by 50 million Norwegian kroner (approximately US$5.2 million) in funding, focusing on addressing modern threats such as deepfakes and social engineering.

SAFE was officially launched earlier this week and is set to operate for five years. Its long-term vision is to create a permanent fraud center dedicated to enhancing the financial industry’s capabilities in tackling fraud. The initiative aims to bridge the gap between academic research and practical applications in the financial sector, thereby improving Norway’s defenses against fraud in digital banking services.

Fraud has emerged as a pressing issue in Norway. The Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority reported record losses due to fraud, amounting to 126.1 million Norwegian kroner in 2024, which is double the losses recorded in 2022. Peggy Sandbekken, director of the Center for Cyber and Information Security (CCIS) at NTNU, highlighted the growing threat, stating, “Fraud is today a significant social problem, and a great burden for the individuals affected.”

Research Focus and Technological Innovations

The SAFE center will be led by Prof. Raghavendra Ramachandra, co-founder of Mobai and a professor at NTNU. Mobai is participating in this project as a spin-off from the Norwegian Biometrics Laboratory at the university. The technical roadmap for the project consists of three key areas: researching facial biometrics for identity assurance, developing specialized algorithms and artificial intelligence models to detect synthetic media and manipulated identities, and examining how technical barriers and behavioral analysis can work together to prevent fraud before transactions are completed.

Mobai’s role will involve providing its biometric authentication technology to support the initiative. Funding for the project has been secured from various investors, including NTNU, the financial foundation Sparebankstiftelsen Hedmark, and SpareBank 1 Østlandet, Norway’s fourth-largest savings bank. Audhild Dahlstrøm, head of Community Funds at SpareBank 1 Østlandet, expressed enthusiasm for the project, emphasizing that “the user and the person are in focus. This is not just a project for us; it is the way we do banking.”

Since 2021, Mobai has been actively engaged in security solutions for Norwegian banks. The company received funding from the Research Council of Norway last year to explore new methods for secure credential binding in digital wallets. This project focuses on user-controlled, shareable biometrics, and includes collaboration with an identity solutions company integrating multi-party computation (MPC). Earlier in 2025, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority (NDPA) published a report that examined Mobai’s use of homomorphic encryption to protect biometric templates.

With the establishment of SAFE, Norway takes a significant step towards enhancing its defenses against digital fraud, leveraging both academic expertise and cutting-edge technology to protect consumers and financial institutions alike.