In 2024, Indonesia faced a ransomware attack on its National Data Centre, affecting multiple government agencies. Another breach exposed over 4.7 million civil servant records from the National Civil Service Agency (BKN). These incidents highlight the growing threat landscape and the importance of proactive cybersecurity measures.

Mastercard is among the companies championing stronger digital resilience, emphasizing that cybersecurity is not just a technical function—it’s a mindset rooted in everyday digital behavior.

A mindset of digital trust

“Cybersecurity isn’t just a function at Mastercard, it’s a mindset,” says Matthew Driver, who leads Mastercard’s Services business in Asia Pacific.

“I see one of my key roles as being an advocate for building digital trust. My team and I work closely with both customers and partners to introduce solutions that help us secure the digital payments ecosystem and protect consumers as well as ensure we collectively stay ahead of threats in a region that’s as diverse as it is dynamic.”

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Since 2018, Mastercard has invested over US$10 billion globally in cybersecurity—launching startups, forging partnerships, and embedding security into every layer of the digital economy.

“Ultimately, the key is  to enable a secure ecosystem that bridges all dimensions of the digital economy —between innovation and inclusion, global scale and local nuance— to ensure that as the system grows, consumers and businesses are able to rely on a foundation of trust that’s resilient and secure,” Matthew adds.

Balancing AI with human oversight

While AI plays a critical role in Mastercard’s cybersecurity strategy, human oversight remains essential. Experts train and refine AI models to ensure decisions are fair, unbiased, and aligned with ethical standards.

One example is Mastercard Agent Pay, which embeds consumer authentication  into AI-driven transactions. This ensures that Mastercard registered digital agents act according to specific consumer authenticated and approved parameters, keeping control in the hands of consumers.

“Agentic AI is transforming how we secure digital payments by putting control in the hands of consumers. With solutions like Mastercard Agent Pay, we’re embedding consumer authentication directly into AI-driven transactions – ensuring that every action taken by our digital agents is authorized and approved by the individual. This approach keeps people at the center of innovation, balancing automation with human oversight to build trust and resilience in the payments ecosystem,” Matthew explains.

Another solution, Consumer Fraud Risk, predicts and intercepts scams like authorized push payment fraud. In the UK, it has improved scam detection by 20 percent, potentially saving over US$100 million annually for consumers and financial institutions.

Mastercard’s AI systems analyze over 143 billion transactions annually to establish behavioral baselines and detect anomalies instantly - resulting in fraud detection rates that have increased by up to 300 percent in some cases. Among its advanced tools, SafetyNet harnesses artificial intelligence to scan global transactions and identify suspicious patterns. In 2023 alone, SafetyNet was instrumental in preventing approximately US$20 billion in fraud losses.

“All AI decisions are subject to continuous testing, human review, and improvement. By combining advanced technology with strong governance, we ensure innovation never comes at the expense of trust,” Matthew emphasizes.

Innovative solutions for emerging threats

Mastercard has developed several tools to tackle evolving cyber threats:

• TRACE (Threat Assessment, Collaboration, and Exchange): A platform that identifies and disrupts financial crime across banks and real-time payment networks. In the Philippines, TRACE connects 36 banks and generates monthly alerts on suspected mule accounts.
• First-Party Trust: Designed to combat “friendly fraud,” where legitimate customers falsely dispute transactions. This program enhances data sharing between merchants and issuers to verify cardholder intent and prevent chargebacks.
• Mastercard Threat Intelligence brings payments-specific threat intel to fraud teams by combining Mastercard’s global fraud insights with Recorded Future’s cyber intelligence, enabling banks and acquirers to detect and disrupt attacks before they reach the transaction stage.

Collaboration is key

Cybercriminals operate across borders and industries, making public-private collaboration essential. Mastercard has partnered with the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) to unite banks, regulators, platforms, and law enforcement across countries—including Indonesia and Singapore—to share scam intelligence and best practices. In Indonesia where Mastercard is serving as the Vice-Chair of the GASA chapter, the alliance has just launched the ‘State of Scams in Indonesia 2025’ report, which underscores the critical need for industry-wide collaboration to tackle digital scams and enhance national cyber resilience.

The company also joined the Global Coalition Against Digital Scams, led by the United Nations Development Programme, to coordinate defenses and develop common standards against emerging fraud.

In Indonesia, Mastercard partnered with Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison to launch the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, supported by the Ministry of Communications and Informatics (Kominfo).

The initiative focuses on:

1. Education to grow the cybersecurity talent pipeline, with the aim to cultivate one million Indonesian digital talents by 2029, integrating training modules with the government’s Digital Talent program.
2. Innovation in digital trust and threat detection
3. Industry collaboration to improve scam response. The GASA Indonesia chapter was established as a result of these efforts.

Regionally, Mastercard signed an MoU with the ASEAN Foundation in October 2024 to launch the Cybersecurity Resilience Program across all 10 ASEAN member states. This initiative supports public sector and SME cybersecurity through awareness campaigns, training, and tools like the Mastercard Trust Center and My Cyber Risk assessment (developed by RiskRecon, a Mastercard company).

Investing in the future

“Technology alone can’t secure the digital ecosystem. People and skills are equally critical,” Matthew says. In Asia Pacific, a recent survey found that 72 percent of cyberattacks stem, in part, from a shortage of skilled professionals.

To address this, Mastercard runs youth programs, professional training, and public awareness campaigns. One standout initiative is the Start Path Security Solutions track, launched to support startups pioneering cybersecurity, fraud prevention and digital identity technologies.

Since its inception in 2014, Mastercard Start Path has supported over 475 startups across more than 60 countries. The new security track focuses on pressing challenges like scam detection, deepfake prevention, IoT security and identity assurance.

“The first cohort includes five startups tackling these issues. Many of them go on to become commercial partners or acquisition targets if their solutions align with market needs,” Matthew shares.

Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility

Mastercard’s commitment to cybersecurity extends beyond internal innovation. By supporting startups and collaborating with governments and industry leaders, the company is building a safer digital economy for all.

“Cybersecurity is a journey we must undertake together. As we mark Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it’s a reminder that protecting our digital lives is a shared responsibility,” Matthew concludes.

The stakes are high. In 2024, the global cost of cyberattacks was estimated at US$9.5 trillion, projected to reach US$15.6 trillion by 2029. But the solutions are out there—and every year, advances in technology make digital transactions safer and scams easier to thwart.

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