Consolidating Saudi Arabia's position as a regional cybersecurity leader through building local capabilities

We live in an ultra-connected world, where cyber threats are becoming more targeted and complex while the need for trust and assurance increases. At Mastercard, we are committed to staying ahead of emerging risks and helping our partners do the same. Over the past six years, we have invested $10.7 billion in cybersecurity innovation - enabling us to stay ahead of emerging threats, help protect our customers, and strengthen trust across the digital ecosystem.

This May, we extended our global network of cyber resilience centers, which includes locations in Europe and the US, into the Middle East. Our new Cyber Resilience Center in Riyadh brings together key players from the financial sector to support our shared goal of building a secure commerce and payment landscape in Saudi Arabia.

The initiative marks a pivotal milestone in reinforcing the Kingdom’s cybersecurity infrastructure, enabling stronger collaboration to protect its fast-evolving digital economy. With cyberthreats becoming more sophisticated and persistent, the center will provide a platform to equip organizations with the tools, expertise and strategies needed to detect, prevent and respond to risks in real time.

The center’s activities are built on three pillars – education & training, standards & best practices, and risk assessments & readiness. It will serve as a catalyst for cultivating local cybersecurity talent and fostering a culture of continuous learning working with financial institutions to introduce certifications in Arabic and host knowledge-sharing sessions. It will also help institutions set measurable cybersecurity benchmarks and track progress through clearly defined improvement targets. Finally, it will enhance risk preparedness through cyber defense exercises, scenario planning and threat-casting workshops.

We were delighted to welcome Riyad Bank as the first partner of the center and look forward to working together on training programs, risk evaluations and the adoption of global cybersecurity standards.

The Cyber Resilience Center plays a key role in building trust in Saudi Arabia’s digital economy, which accelerates the shift away from cash. This aligns with the objective of the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030 to increase the share of digital transactions to 70% by 2030. The initiative contributes to consolidating Saudi Arabia’s position as a regional leader in digital security, ensuring its financial sector remains a robust foundation for innovation and long-term economic growth.