Mastercard is to open its first European Cyber Resilience Centre, collaborating with law enforcement bodies and policy makers to improve intelligence sharing and counter the threats posed to the region's payments ecosystem.
Located in Waterloo, Belgium at Mastercard’s European headquarters, the centre is the first of its kind that the company has invested in outside of North America.
The facility will serve as a single cybersecurity hub for the region, working with various national cyber intelligence centres, industry groups, law enforcement agencies and central banks across Europe, including the ECB, ECCFI, Europol, FS-ISAC, Interpol, NBB, and the UK’s NCA and NCSC .
“Financial services will always be at the top of the target list for attackers due to the vast pool of customer data and credentials under our responsibility,” says Javier Perez, president Europe at Mastercard. “Our European Cyber Resilience Centre improves collaboration amongst key organisations, helping to ensure businesses and individuals feel secure when sharing information online.”
Mastercard is launching an interim centre this spring, with the official facility expected to open in 2021.