Mastercard and UAE's CSC sign cybersecurity MoU

Details: Vaughan O'Grady; Category: Cybersecurity; 10 February 2026; 2695 views

Payment giant Mastercard and the UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen trust in the nation’s digital ecosystem.

Through this collaboration, both entities say they will work together to advance cybersecurity resilience by sharing global best practices and supporting the development of forward‑looking cybersecurity policies.

The two entities are also launching a joint report on the current state of the country’s cybersecurity landscape.

The UAE Cyber Threat Insights Report highlights the increasingly complex ecosystem of threat actors targeting organisations, outlining their diverse objectives and the sophisticated methods they employ. It reveals how critical sectors and high‑value national assets are being prioritised by malicious actors, reflecting a broader escalation in cyber risk.

The report also underscores the UAE government’s sustained efforts to strengthen national cyber resilience, particularly through enhanced public‑private coordination, ensuring collective preparedness and reinforcing the country’s leadership in cybersecurity.

The collaboration with CSC will, says Mastercard, enable it to apply its extensive expertise in fighting cybercrime and fraud to reinforce the UAE’s cybersecurity posture. Since 2018, the company says it has invested US$10.7 billion in strategic cybersecurity-related acquisitions and future-proof solutions. Over the past ten years, Mastercard says its AI tools prevented fraudulent transactions worth US$70 billion worldwide.

According to Cybersecurity Ventures, a researcher and publisher covering the global cyber economy, cybercrime is expected to cost the world US$15.6 trillion by 2029, making it the equivalent of the third-largest economy globally.

Last year, CSC warned that the UAE faces over 200,000 cyberattacks every day, with more than one-third targeting government entities.