The Mastercard cyber hub has officially launched as the Africa Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (ACCE) to help financial institutions, businesses and government bodies combat rising digital threats.
Global payments giant Mastercard has launched the Africa Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (ACCE). This pan-African digital initiative aims to help financial institutions, businesses, and government bodies share threat intelligence and defend against rising digital threats across the continent.
The security initiative will roll out in phases starting this year with South Africa and Nigeria selected as the initial launch markets. The announcement coincided with a bilateral visit to both countries by Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach and received official backing from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu. The hub directly fulfills commitments made during recent G20 meetings in Johannesburg and subsequent high-level discussions in Abuja.
For a deeper look into the operational structure of this platform, you can read the report on how Mastercard opens African cybersecurity hub via TechCentral.
Rather than a brick-and-mortar facility, Mastercard’s new hub operates as a virtual center delivered via connected digital platforms. In its inaugural year, the hub will provide deep cyber-risk analysis for up to 50 key organizations across the initial target markets.
Crucially, the center will leverage an Africa-focused threat-intelligence feed powered by Recorded Future the major threat intelligence company Mastercard acquired for $2.65 billion in late 2024. Beyond data feeds, the hub will facilitate collaboration among regional security chiefs run joint defense exercises, and conduct institutional resilience assessments.
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The launch highlights a broader business transformation for Mastercard. The company is actively expanding from a traditional card payment network into an advanced security and intelligence services provider, bundle-selling trust alongside transaction processing. Since 2018, the payments giant has poured more than $12.6 billion into its global cybersecurity capabilities.
Africa represents a high-stakes testing ground for these capabilities. The continent’s digital economy is currently on track to reach a valuation of $1.5 trillion by 2030, but this rapid expansion has attracted sophisticated cybercriminals. According to data from Interpol’s Africa Cyberthreat Assessment, South Africa remains the most targeted market on the continent, bearing 29% of ransomware attacks and 40% of phishing campaigns. Continent-wide, cybercrime cost African economies over $3 billion between 2019 and 2025.
By establishing a unified digital defense network in the continent’s major economic powerhouses, Mastercard aims to secure the transactional trust necessary to sustain Africa’s long-term digital growth.
