Visa acquires BioCatch for $2.4 billion to bolster fraud prevention

Published Aug 3, 12:34 PM UTC

Visa announced on August 3, 2026, that it will acquire fraud intelligence provider BioCatch for $2.4 billion in cash from investment firm Permira and other investors. The acquisition aims to strengthen Visa's cybersecurity, fraud, risk, and security offerings amid a rising global threat from AI-enabled account takeovers and scams, which cost the global economy over $1 trillion annually. BioCatch, founded in 2011, uses behavioral biometrics such as keystroke and touch gesture analysis to detect fraud in real time. It serves over 350 banking clients across 21 countries, protecting 1.8 billion devices and 760 million users. This deal follows a trend of card giants expanding fraud prevention capabilities, including Mastercard's $2.65 billion acquisition of Recorded Future in 2024 and Visa's purchase of Featurespace the same year. Visa has invested over $13 billion in technology and infrastructure to combat fraud over the last five years. The transaction is expected to close by the end of Visa's fiscal second quarter of 2027.