The Mastercard SME Academy: Cybersecurity platform is designed to provide “practical” cybersecurity education tailored to small business and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), the company said in a news release provided to PYMNTS Tuesday (Nov. 3).
Mastercard cites in-house research which finds that while nearly two-thirds (64%) of European SMEs prioritizing cyber protection, a little more than one-third (37%) use cybersecurity tools like firewalls and antivirus software.
“Every small business starts with a dream,” Mastercard Executive Vice President, Commercial and New Payment Flows Business, Europe Tulsi Narayan said in the release. “Today’s small businesses are not short of ambition, but many do not have the time or resources to navigate an increasingly complex cyber landscape.”
The new platform, she added, is designed to address that gap with “practical, accessible learning that gives business owners the knowledge and confidence to protect against risk, so they can pursue their dreams with trust and confidence.”
Initially available in Ireland, Italy, Poland and the U.K., the platform will be introduced across Europe next year, and is part of Mastercard’s pledge to bring free cybersecurity education to 10 million European SMEs by 2030.
Lessons cover things like how to spot phishing and understanding how data breaches take place, how to respond to malware and how to lessen the risk of identity theft and impersonation.
Research by PYMNTS Intelligence shows the lengths companies are going to prevent fraud, with 59% of firms who use three or more artificial intelligence (AI) fraud detection tools saying they are able to stop at least 90% of fraud attempts before any loss occurs.
“Basic supplier checks remain central,” PYMNTS wrote last week. “Before adding a vendor or changing banking details, 82% of firms require approval from more than one person and 80% compare requests with contact or banking information already on file.”
Those precautions are in response to a common threat: Half of businesses who reported an AI-enabled fraud tactic cited vendor impersonation emails as the issue they encounter most often. Verifying a payment request against trusted records provides employees a practical way to push back against a convincing message.
Among non-users, 58% are implementing AI fraud detection or plan to do so inside the next 12 months, with their concerns helping illustrate the remaining hesitation.
“Some 89% fear flagging legitimate payments and 74% hesitate to automate without human approval. Adoption will require confidence that new tools can protect payments while keeping routine business moving,” PYMNTS wrote.
