Mastercard has also entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC) to enhance trust and resilience within the fast-growing digital ecosystem of the UAE.
Its partnership is aimed at enhancing national cybersecurity capabilities by sharing international best practices and contributing to the creation of future-oriented cybersecurity policies.
The agreement was declared at the margin of the World Governments Summit 2026 in Dubai, where a joint report assessing the current state of cybersecurity in the UAE was released.
The UAE Cyber Threat Insight Report also indicates the increasing complexity of cyber threats posed to organizations, outlining the variety of purposes and the increasingly advanced methods employed to harm organizations by threat actors.
It demonstrates that malicious actors are prioritizing critical sectors and high-value national assets, which represents a wider-scale intensification of cyber risk.
The report indicates further ongoing government initiatives to enhance national cyber resilience, especially via enhanced public-private coordination around the aim of enhancing overall preparedness and bolstering the UAE as a global leader in cybersecurity.
Over the course of the partnership, Mastercard will use its international experts in battling cybercrime and fraud to assist in enhancing the UAE’s cybersecurity stance.
The company has spent $10.7 billion on cybersecurity-related acquisitions and solutions designed to embrace the future, and its AI-based tools have prevented fraudulent transactions amounting to $70 billion across the globe over the past decade.
Cybersecurity Ventures estimates that cybercrime will be worth the third-largest economy in the world and cost the global economy will be $15.6 trillion by 2029.
CSC has already cautioned that the UAE is subject to more than 200,000 cyberattacks daily, and more than one-third of these attacks are against government agencies.
Mohamed Alkuwaiti, head of cyber security for the UAE Government, said, “As the UAE advances its digital transformation, exposure to cybercrime grows, with risks to critical sectors escalating exponentially, driven by AI and other threats. In this rapidly evolving landscape, CSC and Mastercard share an unwavering commitment to building a secure and prosperous digital future. We aim to use the company’s global know-how and advanced technology to bolster the UAE’s cybersecurity framework, enhance the country’s readiness to combat increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks, and consolidate its leadership in this space. Together, we will launch the next wave of innovation that will strengthen our nation’s ability to anticipate and mitigate threats.”
Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., vice chairman and president, strategic growth at Mastercard, stated, “At Mastercard, we are dedicated to safeguarding the UAE’s digital ecosystem in line with the ‘UAE 2031’ vision and the National Cybersecurity Strategy. The MoU with the UAE Cyber Security Council reinforces our position as a trusted partner, technology provider, and policy advisor to the UAE government and a thought leader in the field of cybersecurity. Our collaboration will help CSC assess emerging cyber-risks and protect both people and organisations against them.”
