Visa acquires BioCatch for $2.4B in cash to bolster fraud detection

Published Aug 6, 10:15 PM UTC

Visa announced on August 3, 2026, its $2.4 billion cash acquisition of BioCatch, an Israeli fraud intelligence provider specializing in behavioral biometrics. The deal aims to strengthen Visa's cybersecurity tools for banks and merchants amid rising AI-driven fraud, which now costs the global economy over $1 trillion annually. BioCatch protects 1.8 billion devices and 760 million users across 350+ banking clients. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of Visa's fiscal Q2 2027. On the same day, Mastercard completed its acquisition of stablecoin platform BVNK and earlier rolled out new virtual card security controls with Citi. The article compares the two companies' strategies, noting Mastercard's Recorded Future acquisition (2024) as a competitive advantage. Visa's value-added services revenue grew 34% last quarter, while Mastercard's rose 20%. Hedge fund ownership shifted slightly in Mastercard's favor. Visa trades at a forward P/E of 24.45 vs. Mastercard's 29.15.