A national initiative to combat digital fraud
Digital fraud is one of the fastest growing threats facing individuals, banks, and society as a whole. Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has taken a decisive step by establishing the Secure Anti-Fraud Excellence Center (SAFE) at NTNU i Gjøvik. A five-year research initiative backed by NOK 50 million.
Funded by NTNU, Sparebankstiftelsen Hedmark, and SpareBank 1 Østlandet, SAFE aims to strengthen Norway’s ability to prevent and combat digital fraud through close collaboration between academia and the financial sector.
Bridging research and industry
SAFE is designed to bridge the gap between academic research and the financial industry’s need for robust, proactive security solutions. By bringing together researchers and financial institutions, the center ensures that new technologies are not only innovative, but also practical and ready for real-world deployment.
This collaborative model enables faster identification of emerging fraud patterns, realistic testing environments, and the development of solutions that balance security, usability, and inclusion.
Addressing deepfakes and emerging threats
Led by Professor Raghavendra Ramachandra, SAFE focuses on emerging threats such as deepfakes, manipulated identities, and social engineering. The center’s technical roadmap is built on three core pillars.
- Advanced biometrics: Strengthening facial biometrics to ensure robust and non-transferable identity verification.
- Deepfake & fraud detection: Developing specialized algorithms and AI models to detect synthetic and manipulated media in real time.
- Identity integrity: Combining technical safeguards with behavioral analysis to prevent fraud before it reaches the transaction stage
Mobai’s role: Biometrics as a trust infrastructure
Mobai is proud to participate in SAFE as a core biometric technology partner. As a research based spin-off from NTNU, we contribute years of expertise in biometric authentication and advanced liveness detection.
“We will contribute as a technology partner and we are very motivated”, said Brage Strand Co-founder and CEO of Mobai.
For us, biometrics is more than an authentication method, it is a foundational component of the future digital trust infrastructure. Our focus is on ensuring that digital identities cannot be copied, manipulated, or transferred, even in the face of increasingly sophisticated attacks. At the same time, we are committed to building solutions that are secure, privacy-preserving, and accessible to all.
A five year commitment to a safer digital future
At Mobai, our mission is clear: to make digital identity secure, private, and accessible for everyone and to help rid the world of fraud.
Being part of the SAFE center marks an important milestone in this journey. Together with our partners, we look forward to five years of research, innovation, and collaboration aimed at strengthening Norway’s digital resilience and building a safer, more trustworthy digital society.