Visa Acquires Israeli Cybersecurity Firm BioCatch for $2.4 Billion

Visa, the American credit card giant, announced it will acquire Israeli cybersecurity company BioCatch for $2.4 billion in cash. The deal, reported on August 3, 2026, is expected to close by mid-2027, pending regulatory approvals. BioCatch is currently controlled by investment fund Permira, which bought it in 2024 from Bain Capital and Maverick Ventures at a valuation of approximately $1.3 billion.

BioCatch specializes in behavioral biometrics technology that detects financial fraud by analyzing how users interact with their devices, rather than relying solely on passwords. The system evaluates thousands of parameters such as typing patterns, phone handling, and screen touches to create a unique behavioral fingerprint. This enables real-time identification of legitimate account holders versus fraudsters attempting to impersonate them. BioCatch’s technology currently protects 1.8 billion devices and 760 million users across 21 countries, serving over 350 banks worldwide.

Founded in 2011 in Tel Aviv by Avi Turgeman and the late Benny Rosenbaum, BioCatch employs around 400 people, mostly in Israel. The company has raised $115 million to date, excluding secondary sales by existing shareholders. CEO Gadi Mazor highlighted the firm’s decade-long expertise in behavioral analysis and the enhanced power of real-time intelligence sharing among clients.

Andrew Torre, President of Value-Added Services at Visa, emphasized the growing global cost of account takeovers and fraud, which exceed one trillion dollars annually. He noted that artificial intelligence enables attackers to scale these threats dramatically. Visa’s acquisition aligns with a broader industry shift from one-time login authentication to continuous user evaluation throughout digital sessions. Over the past five years, Visa has invested more than $13 billion in security infrastructure to proactively prevent fraud before payment stages.

This strategic purchase strengthens Visa’s position in financial security by integrating advanced behavioral biometrics to combat increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.