Summary Visa will acquire BioCatch for $2.4 billion to strengthen its fraud prevention and cybersecurity capabilities amid growing AI-enabled financial threats.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Visa has agreed to acquire fraud intelligence provider BioCatch for $2.4 billion in cash from investment firm Permira and other investors, as the payments giant expands its cybersecurity and fraud prevention capabilities.
The company said the acquisition would strengthen its existing cyber, fraud, risk and security services, enabling financial institutions to better defend themselves against increasingly sophisticated digital threats.
"Account takeovers and scams cost the global economy over $1 trillion annually, and AI is enabling these attacks at unprecedented scale. BioCatch will help our clients stop fraud before it reaches the point of payment," said Andrew Torre, President of Value-Added Services at Visa.
Founded in 2011, BioCatch uses behavioural intelligence to detect fraud in real time by analysing signals such as keystrokes, touch gestures and device handling, allowing it to distinguish legitimate users from fraudsters.
The company serves more than 350 banking clients across 21 countries and provides protection for approximately 1.8 billion devices and 760 million users worldwide.
Major payment companies have increasingly relied on acquisitions to enhance their fraud prevention capabilities. Mastercard completed its $2.65 billion acquisition of threat intelligence firm Recorded Future in 2024, while Visa acquired payment protection company Featurespace during the same year.
Visa said it has invested more than $13 billion in technology and infrastructure over the past five years to combat financial fraud. The acquisition of BioCatch is expected to close by the end of Visa's fiscal second quarter of 2027.
