Mastercard Sets Up its First European Cyber Resilience Center

• Mastercard is taking yet another step towards combating cyberattacks by opening the European Cyber Resilience Centre, a state-of-the-art cyber and security center in Europe.

• The center will act as a cybersecurity hub for the region and will bring together national cybersecurity centers, law enforcement bodies as well as financial institutions.

• The facility will officially come into existence in 2021 in Waterloo, Belgium.

Operating in over 210 countries and territories, Mastercard is dedicated to protecting itself, its customers and cardholders wherever they may be. With that commitment, Mastercard is taking yet another step through the European Cyber Resilience Centre, a state-of-the-art cyber and security center in Europe.

Yesterday, Mastercard announced that it will set up its European Cyber Resilience Centre to increase collaboration between public, private, and regulatory bodies, as well as combating cyberattacks on the European payments ecosystem. The state-of-the-art center for cyber resilience is also the first establishment of its kind that Mastercard has invested in outside of North America.

The facility will serve as a single cybersecurity hub for the region, bringing together a diverse pool of talent from across Mastercard’s global community.

Mastercard will now be able to work closely with law enforcement, increasing efficiency during global events, natural disasters, service, and security incidents. It will bring together both cyber and physical security experts.

The center will act as a cybersecurity hub for the region and will bring together national cybersecurity centers, law enforcement bodies, industry groups, and central banks. It will include agencies like the Interpol, the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (FS-ISAC), the National Bank of Belgium (NBB), and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and National Cyber Security Centre (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. Our European Cyber Resilience Centre improves collaboration amongst key organizations, helping to ensure businesses and individuals feel secure when sharing information online.

- Javier Perez, President Europe, MasterCard

It will shorten the lines of communication internally between Mastercard teams, as well as externally between Mastercard and its customers, reducing the time of response in the process.

The security and privacy of our customers’ data is paramount. Fraudsters and hackers know no borders or nationalities, so threats can strike from every corner of the world. Only a joint effort that involves all parties will be able to place Europe on the frontline of enterprise resilience. This new center will synchronize our global resources and partners to constantly seek and adopt the best practices for us and our customer network

- Javier Perez, President Europe, MasterCard

The launch of the interim center will happen this spring at its headquarters in Waterloo, Belgium, while the facility will officially come into existence in 2021.