Pixalate Releases Q1 2026 Mobile Seller Trust Index 2.0: 16.2% of Global Authorized Mobile App Inventory Is Resold Through Arbitrage; Google AdExchange Top-Ranked 'Direct' Seller in the US
LONDON, June 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pixalate, an ad fraud and privacy compliance platform, today released the Q1 2026 Mobile Seller Trust Index (STI) 2.0 rankings. STI 2.0 ranks 200+ open programmatic mobile app sellers across 100+ markets and fully differentiates between arbitraged vs. authorized publisher-direct inventory. The index is free, public, and updated quarterly.
For each seller in each country, the model measures:
Arbitrage Trends in Mobile App (Q1 2026)
In global mobile app traffic, 16.2% of authorized inventory was resold rather than sold publisher-direct in Q1 2026 (below web’s 20.8% and above CTV’s 4.1%, per Pixalate's Q1 2026 Web and CTV Seller Trust Indexes). The average SSP arbitrage rate edged down slightly (0.6 percentage points) quarter-over-quarter.
At the country level, the picture was mixed — the share of ranked SSPs that are primarily arbitrageurs rose most in India (+11 pp), Mexico (+9 pp) and Australia, France and Canada (+8 pp each), and fell most in South Korea (−10 pp), Singapore (−9 pp) and Brazil (−7 pp).
Q1 2026 Mobile Seller Trust Index 2.0: Top 5 Sellers in Select Countries
The following tables show the top-ranked sellers in select countries based on Mobile Seller Trust Index scores for Q1 2026. Full rankings for 100+ countries are available at pixalate.com.
United States
Canada
Germany
Singapore
Mobile Seller Trust Index 2.0 Metrics
The following metrics are disclosed for each seller in each country:
Seller overall rankings are a composite score based on Arbitraged Inventory Ratio, DIRECT Publisher Penetration, and Authorized-Direct Volume.
Mobile Arbitrage by Country: Percentage of SSPs That Are Primarily Resellers
The following table shows the share of mobile app SSPs operating in each country that are primarily resellers — meaning over half of their measured impressions were not delivered through an authorized-direct path, as assessed by Pixalate.
How to Access the Mobile Seller Trust Index
The Pixalate Seller Trust Index ratings are free and open to the public. See the full Q1 2026 Mobile Seller Trust Index ratings at pixalate.com.
Pixalate also publishes the Web Seller Trust Index and CTV Seller Trust Index.
About Pixalate
Pixalate is a global platform specializing in privacy compliance, ad fraud prevention, and digital ad supply chain data intelligence. Founded in 2012 and recognized by UNICEF as a “key innovator” for children’s online privacy, Pixalate is trusted by regulators, data researchers, advertisers, publishers, ad tech platforms, and financial analysts across the Connected TV (CTV), mobile app, and website ecosystems. Pixalate is accredited by the MRC for the detection and filtration of Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT). pixalate.com
Disclaimer
The content of this press release, and the Seller Trust Indexes (collectively, the “Indexes”), reflect Pixalate’s opinions with respect to factors that Pixalate believes may be useful to the digital media industry. As cited in the Indexes, the ratings and rankings in the Indexes are based on a number of metrics and Pixalate’s opinions regarding the relative performance of each seller with respect to the metrics. The data is derived from buy-side, predominantly open auction, programmatic advertising transactions, as measured by Pixalate. Any references to outside sources in the Indexes and herein should not be construed as endorsements. Pixalate’s opinions are just that, opinions, which means that they are neither facts nor guarantees; and neither this press release nor the Indexes are intended to impugn the standing or reputation of any person, entity or app.
IVT rates and scores derived from each vendor’s own proprietary methods and independent analysis may depict differing results and opinions across measurement providers. Any party’s reliance on Pixalate’s Indexes, rankings, IVT opinions, or related data is entirely at that party’s own risk. Pixalate makes no guarantees, representations, or warranties — express or implied — regarding the accuracy, completeness, or applicability of its opinions or data to any particular purpose or circumstance.
Per the MRC, “‘Fraud’ is not intended to represent fraud as defined in various laws, statutes and ordinances or as conventionally used in U.S. Court or other legal proceedings, but rather a custom definition strictly for advertising measurement purposes. Also per the MRC, “‘Invalid Traffic’ is defined generally as traffic that does not meet certain ad serving quality or completeness criteria, or otherwise does not represent legitimate ad traffic that should be included in measurement counts. Among the reasons why ad traffic may be deemed invalid is it is a result of non-human traffic (spiders, bots, etc.), or activity designed to produce fraudulent traffic.”
press@pixalate.com