Cyber threats across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA) are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with financially motivated attacks emerging as the primary driver of cybercrime in the region. According to Mastercard’s inaugural Cyber Pulse report, 71% of observed cybercrime activity across EEMEA is linked to financial gain and operational disruption, highlighting the growing importance of cyber resilience for businesses and governments.
The report combines intelligence from Mastercard’s Cyber Insights platform, cyber health assessments from RiskRecon, and advanced threat intelligence from Recorded Future, which Mastercard acquired in December 2024. Together, these tools provide insights into emerging cyber threats, risk patterns, and their impact on operational resilience and economic stability.
The findings show that cybercrime activity increased in early 2026 following a period of geopolitical instability. The report stresses that organizations must move beyond awareness and focus on long-term cyber readiness and resilience to address evolving threats.
Cyber risk is also proving costly. Citing the IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025, the study notes that the average cost of a data breach in the Middle East reached nearly US$7.29 million per incident, which is 64% higher than the global average. This reinforces the need for cybersecurity to remain a leadership and board-level priority.
According to the report, business systems, customer information, and physical infrastructure account for 66% of all cyberattack targets. Attackers are primarily focused on disrupting operations, committing fraud, and causing physical damage. The public sector, technology industry, and financial services sector collectively account for 44% of all targeted industries due to their critical role in economic and digital ecosystems.
The report also highlights that malware, ransomware, and email-based social engineering remain the most common attack methods across the region. While some markets maintain strong baseline cyber health, application security and web encryption continue to be key areas requiring improvement.
Commenting on the findings, Selin Bahadirli, Executive Vice President Services, EEMEA, Mastercard, said, “Cyber resilience is synonymous with business resilience and operational wellbeing. Our first Cyber Pulse report highlights the importance for organizations adopting a proactive and integrated approach to cybersecurity alongside consistent vigilance.”
Mastercard also highlighted its long-term commitment to cybersecurity, noting that it has invested approximately US$12.6 billion in cybersecurity innovation since 2019. In 2025 alone, the company processed 175 billion transactions while using advanced data science and threat intelligence tools to strengthen digital security and resilience.
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