Visa has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire BioCatch, an Israeli fraud prevention FinTech, for $2.4 billion in an all-cash transaction. The deal is expected to close in Q2 2027.
Upon completion, BioCatch’s ownership will transition from funds advised by Permira, a London-based VC, and other shareholders including Bain Capital Tech Opportunities, CreditEase, and Maverick Ventures. Established in 2011, BioCatch specializes in using behavioral biometrics to combat online fraud and cybercrime in real time. Its technology monitors data points such as keystrokes, touch gestures, and device handling to differentiate legitimate users from fraudsters, currently safeguarding 1.8 billion devices across more than 350 banking clients.
BioCatch will be integrated into Visa’s value-added services division, with its entire leadership team, including CEO Gadi Mazor, retaining their current positions. Andrew Torre, president of value-added services at Visa, stated that BioCatch’s technology “will help our clients stop fraud before it reaches the point of payment.” He added, “This acquisition is part of our strategy to help clients prevent cyber threats upstream while continuing to protect transactions as they occur, building trust into every transaction.”
This acquisition expands Visa’s current portfolio of cybersecurity and fraud prevention solutions. This portfolio includes the Visa Vulnerability Agentic Harness, an open-source AI tool released this summer designed to assist Visa’s 14,500 financial institution clients in identifying and patching potential vulnerabilities.
The transaction contributes to the $13 billion Visa has invested over the past five years. This investment aims to “safeguard the integrity of the payments ecosystem and accelerate the decline in fraud rates.” Other security initiatives include Visa’s $946 million acquisition of UK-based fraud detection firm Featurespace in late 2024.
