What it is, and why it matters.
Every approval decision is really a risk decision. A risk engine is the system that turns raw signals — how fast, from where, on what device, with what history — into a score your platform can act on consistently.
Vertlo's risk engine scores each transaction and feeds routing, 3DS step-up, review queues, and dispute prevention. It is the shared intelligence layer under fraud prevention, chargeback management, and orchestration.
Decisions grounded in signal
Consistent scoring
Every transaction judged on the same weighted signals, not ad-hoc rules.
Feeds the whole platform
Scores drive routing, 3DS, review, and dispute prevention together.
Tunable to your appetite
Thresholds and actions configured to your category and risk tolerance.
Explainable
See which signals drove a score, not just the number.
Inside the engine
Configured with your acquiring, routing, and reporting during onboarding — and supported by a team that knows the account.
Book a call→Signal weighting
Velocity, geography, device, session, and history combined.
Per-transaction score
A single, explainable score for each payment.
Action mapping
Approve, step up, or review based on thresholds.
Feedback loop
Outcomes inform ongoing tuning within compliance limits.
Model transparency
Contributing signals surfaced for review.
What the engine powers
Step-up decisions
Borderline transactions receive 3DS challenges based on score.
Review routing
Genuine risk is sent to a queue instead of silently blocked.
Dispute prevention
High-signal transactions trigger early evidence preparation.
Risk engine FAQs
Answers to the questions merchants ask most about this part of the platform.
What signals does the risk engine use?
It blends velocity, geography, device and session characteristics, and customer history into a weighted per-transaction score. The exact weighting is tuned per account and category.
Is the score explainable?
Yes — contributing signals are surfaced so your team can understand why a transaction scored the way it did, rather than trusting a black box.
How is it different from fraud prevention?
The risk engine is the scoring layer; fraud prevention is one thing that acts on it. The same scores also feed routing, 3DS step-up, and dispute prevention.
Can I tune it?
Thresholds and actions are configurable to your appetite and category, within compliance boundaries.