Canada got hammered by other countries on this index and a digital-confidence crisis is to blame

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Thompson/PostmediaCanada placed 13th of 14 countries on an index of digital conditions, with the biggest stumbling block being people’s lack of confidence in the system, according to a survey released by Interac Corp. on Thursday.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account“At a time when Canada is grappling with AI adoption, rising fraud, growing cybersecurity threats and questions around digital sovereignty, the index finds the country’s biggest digital challenge isn’t access to technology; it’s confidence in using it,” Interac said in a press release.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Canada scored 57.7 out of 100, well below first place Singapore at 83.3 and beneath the group mean of 67.1. Brazil came in last with a score of 39.5.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againCountries such as Estonia, Germany and South Korea were included in the index because they are leaders in digital rankings, while the United States and United Kingdom have similar regulatory environments to Canada. Brazil, the only country outside the advanced economy group, is considered a payments leader, Interac said.Canada’s low ranking “points to its lack of predictability and an uneven path through our economy and the way that Canadian consumers and businesses experience (the digital economy), which is holding back growth,” Lauren Mostowyk, head of corporate affairs and partnerships at Interac, said.The index rankings were compiled based on the scores for five separate measures: access to the internet, the capability of users, user confidence in digital services as they relate to fraud and scams, participation in online sales and e-commerce and outcomes including labour productivity and digital competitiveness.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.“We feel like the stronger we are across those pillars, the more likely Canada becomes a digitally prosperous nation with what it has at its disposal,” Mostowyk said. “If we can reveal the gaps of those things, perhaps we can use them to say, ‘OK, we’ve got access. We have capability. What we lack is the confidence.'”Canada’s poor showing on confidence, lowest in the group at 36.7, is what held it back in the rankings, Interac said. Singapore led this metric at 92.3.On the other measures, Canada scored 68.1 for access, against 92.8 for first-place South Korea; 40.3 on capability versus 87 for top-ranked Singapore; 68 on participation against leader Switzerland at 89.2; and 75.4 on outcomes, its best showing, versus Norway at 89.7.A survey conducted by Leger released along with the index said connectivity was “close to universal access among Canadians,” with 91 per cent saying they had reliable internet access at home. A majority also said they regularly paid bills online and used a smartphone at least daily.Nearly 70 per cent of the 2,000 people surveyed said the risk of fraud caused them to hesitate to use digital services and 41 per cent said they avoided using the internet for certain services for the same reason.This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.As a result, 42 per cent of consumers have stuck with the digital services they are familiar with and 22 per cent returned to doing things in person, by phone or by paper.“If you don’t have confidence due to fear of fraud and the experience of a fraud that Canadian consumers and businesses have then that will hold you back, and that is what is holding back Canada today,” Mostowyk said.Canadians’ hesitancy could be right, given a TransUnion survey in May said the suspected digital fraud rate for attempted transactions for consumers located in the country was 4.4 per cent in 2025 versus a global average of 3.8 per cent.Worse, 14.2 per cent of account login attempts in 2025 were suspected to be fraudulent, more than three times the global average of 4.3 per cent, TransUnion said.And 34 per cent of Canadians said they were targeted by an unsuccessful financial scam attempt in the past 12 months, according to a Capital One report on Oct. 7 based on a poll done in August.About three in 10 Canadians were targeted by financial fraud, with consumers saying phone calls, emails and text messages served as the primary channels for scam attempts.We apologize, but this video has failed to load.This advertisement has not loaded yet.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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