Mastercard to acquire threat intelligence firm for $2.65bn

Recorded Future has more than 1,900 clients in 75 countries and Mastercard plans to boost its fraud prevention and cybersecurity services through this deal.

Mastercard has agreed to purchase global threat intelligence company Recorded Future for $2.65bn, in a bid to boost its cybersecurity for customers.

Mastercard made the agreement with Insight Partners, which has ownership of the intelligence company. The deal is subject to regulatory review but the parties expect to close the acquisition in the first quarter of 2025.

Recorded Future is a massive threat intelligence company that helps organisations to spot, prioritise and act to prevent cyberattacks. The company has more than 1,900 clients across 75 countries, including the governments of 45 countries and more than 50pc of the Fortune 100.

Mastercard plans to use the capabilities of Recorded Future to expand its own identity, fraud prevention, real-time decisioning and cybersecurity services. The company said the deal will bring expanded threat intelligence capabilities to its network of merchants and financial institutions.

“Trust is the foundation of any relationship,” said Mastercard chief services officer Craig Vosburg. “Recorded Future adds to how we deliver that greater peace of mind before, during and after the payment transaction.

“Together we will innovate faster, create smarter models and anticipate emerging threats before cyberattacks can take place – in payments and beyond.”

For Recorded Future, the company plans to grow by leveraging the global reach of Mastercard and its customer base. The two companies are also collaborating on an AI-supported service that alerts financial institutions faster and more accurately when a card is likely to have been compromised.

“Fifteen years ago, we created Recorded Future with a simple goal to secure the world with intelligence,” said Recorded Future CEO Christopher Ahlberg. “By joining Mastercard, we see an opportunity to help more businesses and governments determine the steps to realise their full potential – and to enable everyone to feel safer in their daily lives,”

Last year, Mastercard’s George Simon spoke to SiliconRepublic.com about the company’s plans to improve and simplify the payment infrastructure for EV charging.

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