Persistent Systems launches merchant risk management platform with Databricks

By Aarav Garg

Persistent Systems, a global Digital Engineering and Enterprise Modernisation firm, has launched its Merchant Risk Management and Fraud Detection solution, powered by the Databricks Data Intelligence platform.

Built on Databricks’ Data Intelligence platform, the Merchant Risk Management and Fraud Detection solution uses Agentic AI to perform multi-signal merchant vetting during onboarding.

Barath Narayanan, Global BFSI and Europe Geo Head, Persistent, said, “Effective risk management now depends on the ability to transform data into intelligence and respond in real time. Our work with Databricks enables us to combine scalable data processing with AI to help financial institutions identify emerging risk earlier, improve decision making and strengthen merchant oversight across the entire lifecycle.” 

The solution assesses risk before transactions begin by analysing business profiles, compliance history, transaction patterns and external indicators. It also continuously monitors transactions, chargebacks and third-party signals in real time to detect emerging fraud or compliance risks.

Josh Meyer, Global Head of Partner Solutions and Industry GTM, Databricks, said, “Databricks, together with Persistent, helps financial institutions, payment providers, and digital platforms unify data at scale to gain real-time visibility across the merchant lifecycle. This approach enables earlier risk detection, sharper decision-making, and stronger, more resilient compliance in a rapidly evolving payments landscape.”

When risk signals are detected, the system triggers configurable actions, such as enhanced monitoring, watch listing or transaction restrictions with full auditability and governance.

The solution is expected to lead to a 20–40% reduction in chargeback and fraud losses through earlier risk detection, 30–60% improvement in fraud detection accuracy using multi-signal intelligence, 50–70% reduction in manual review effort, freeing teams for higher-value investigations, and a 10–20% reduction in risk management costs through automation and streamlined workflows.