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Case Study: Novo cuts unauthorized disputes by more than 90% with Sardine

Novo Case StudySourced & dated by Case Study Desk
Key facts · TL;DR
Company
Novo
Industry
Financial Services
Challenge
Balancing fraud prevention against friction for 250,000+ SMB customers.
Headline result
Novo reduced unauthorized disputes by more than 90% and now recovers 84% of blocked transactions using Sardine, across 250,000+ small-business customers.

Key results

>90%
Reduction in unauthorized disputes
84%
Recovery of blocked transactions
via 2FA/OTP instead of declining
250,000+
Small-business customers protected
billions in transactions processed

The challenge

Novo, a financial platform for small businesses serving more than 250,000 customers, faced the trade-off between fraud prevention and user experience. High-friction controls such as 2FA challenges and card blocks hurt customer experience, while looser controls risked fraud and chargeback losses, and false positives left customers with blocked transactions and no immediate recourse.

The solution

Novo deployed Sardine across account opening and funding, device intelligence and behavior biometrics, AML transaction monitoring and case management, and the Auto Disputes feature. Rather than declining questionable transactions, Novo now prompts a 2FA/OTP step to recover legitimate ones.

The results, in context

Novo reported reducing unauthorized disputes by more than 90% and recovering 84% of previously blocked transactions by prompting 2FA/OTP instead of declining. The company reports a best-in-class chargeback rate on debit cards while serving more than 250,000 small-business customers.

Products used

Sardine Sardine Fraud PlatformSardine Device IntelligenceSardine AML Transaction MonitoringSardine Auto Disputes