By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Chicago-based TransUnion announced Thursday that TIME magazine named its Branded Call Display solution one of the Best Inventions of 2026 in the Connectivity & Communication category.
The recognition highlights the credit reporting company’s effort to combat phone fraud at a time when fraudsters initiate more than 50 billion robocalls each year, according to a company news release.
Branded Call Display enables businesses to show their name, logo and reason for calling on a consumer’s phone screen. The system authenticates calls in real time to protect against spoofing and impersonation scams, giving consumers information to decide whether to answer.
“Rampant fraud has created a serious trust problem for the phone channel, to the point that consumers ignore important calls they’re expecting simply because they don’t recognize the number,” James Garvert, executive vice president of fraud and communications solutions at TransUnion, said in the news release. “Branded Call Display restores that trust for consumers and creates a new opportunity for businesses to promote and protect their brands.”
Unlike traditional caller ID, which bad actors can spoof, or alternatives that require an app download, Branded Call Display operates through participating telecommunications networks, according to the release. TransUnion also supported the establishment of STIR/SHAKEN as an industry standard for call authentication and developed its product to build on that infrastructure.
Organizations across banking, healthcare, insurance and government agencies have reported significant results from the technology. Business users have seen a 105 percent lift in answer rates, increases of up to 40 percent in callback rates and an 83 percent increase in offer conversions, according to the company.
The solution has delivered more than 7 billion branded-call impressions across major wireless networks. TransUnion has deployed Branded Call Display in the United States, Canada, Brazil and India, reaching more than 1 billion mobile subscribers, the company said.
TransUnion, traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker TRU, employs more than 13,000 people in more than 30 countries. The company is headquartered in Chicago.
The TIME recognition adds to a string of industry awards for the product. Earlier this year, Juniper Research named Branded Call Display the Gold Winner for Best Branded Call Solution in its Future Digital Awards. The technology also received a Silver Stevie Award for Technical Innovation of the Year in the Communication Technology category.
TransUnion offers Branded Call Display through its Trusted Call Solutions suite, which is designed to reduce fraud and improve customer engagement across the phone channel.
TIME’s Best Inventions list recognizes products and ideas that the magazine determines are making the world better, smarter or more connected, according to the publication.
