Brief
Mastercard warns Africa’s digital growth faces rising cyber threats
The report calls for coordinated resilience efforts as attacks surge across fintech, tech and public sectors.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Mastercard’s new whitepaper, Africa’s Digital Defense Race, says cyber attacks on African organisations rose more than 421% between 2016 and 2025, outpacing the global increase of 307%.
What happened
Mastercard Cyber Insights recorded 69,236 observed cyber events targeting African firms in 2025 – roughly one incident every eight minutes. The data show that technology, public‑sector and financial‑services firms together accounted for 44% of the activity, while personal and financial information made up 27% of the targeted data.
What the reports add
The whitepaper highlights Nigeria as the continent’s biggest fintech hub and a major source of observed attacks, while South Africa’s concentrated financial sector suffered 12.6% of the total incidents. Morocco is noted for its more institutionalised cyber‑governance, and Kenya’s report stresses the need to protect systems that underpin financial inclusion.
What was said
Shabir Ahmed, senior vice‑president, customer solutions centre lead, Africa, told Bizcommunity, “Africa’s digital growth is creating real opportunity for people and businesses across the continent, and protecting it has become a leadership priority. As threats become more sophisticated and co‑ordinated, our response has to be just as co‑ordinated. That is why we launched the Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, bringing the public and private sectors together to share intelligence, knowledge and best practices.”
How it came about
The surge in attacks coincides with a rapid expansion of Africa’s digital economy – mobile‑money users grew 5.9‑fold, digital‑banking users 4.7‑fold and e‑commerce 5.3‑times between 2016 and 2025, driving the payments market toward a $1.5 trillion valuation by 2030. Mastercard’s analysis argues that closing skills gaps and deepening collaboration are essential to secure that growth.
Key facts
- Cyber attacks on African organisations increased by more than 421% from 2016 to 2025. (bizcommunity.com)
- Mastercard Cyber Insights recorded 69,236 cyber events in Africa in 2025, about one every eight minutes. (bizcommunity.com)
- Technology, public sector and financial services together accounted for 44% of observed attacks. (bizcommunity.com)
- Nigeria accounted for a significant share of attacks; South Africa suffered 12.6% of total incidents. (bizcommunity.com)
- Mastercard launched the Africa Cybersecurity Center of Excellence to coordinate public‑private defence. (bizcommunity.com)
Sources
- [1] bizcommunity.com — originally reported as “Africa’s digital future hangs in the balance as cyberattacks surge”
