Mastercard’s inaugural Cyber Pulse report highlights the evolving cyber threat landscape in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA). It combines threat intelligence from Mastercard’s Cyber Insights platform and RiskRecon, along with advanced data analysis from Recorded Future, which was acquired in December 2024.

The report emphasizes the growing financial impact of cybercrime, revealing that the average cost of a data breach in the Middle East is approximately US$7.29 million, 64% higher than the global average. With cybercrime on the rise, particularly following geopolitical instability, organizations must prioritize cyber readiness and resilience.

Selin Bahadirli, EVP Services, EEMEA at Mastercard, stresses the need for a proactive cybersecurity approach to protect digital assets and ensure a secure digital economy.