Visa is acquiring Israeli-founded fraud prevention company BioCatch for $2.4 billion in cash, turning one of Israel’s most successful cybersecurity companies into a major piece of the payments giant’s global fight against digital fraud. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close during Visa’s fiscal second quarter of 2027.

BioCatch’s technology goes beyond examining whether a transaction looks suspicious. Its AI-powered behavioral biometrics analyze thousands of signals, including typing patterns, touchscreen gestures, device handling and network activity, to determine whether the person operating an account behaves like its legitimate owner. That allows banks to detect account takeovers, scams, fraudulent applications and money-mule activity before funds are transferred.

The scale is already enormous. BioCatch says its technology protects 760 million users across 1.8 billion devices and is used by more than 350 financial institutions in 21 countries, including more than 100 of the world’s largest banks. The company surpassed $185 million in annual recurring revenue by the end of 2025.

Visa is betting that this type of behavioral intelligence will become increasingly important as artificial intelligence makes scams cheaper, faster and easier to scale. The company estimates that account takeovers and scams now cost the global economy more than $1 trillion annually and says it has invested more than $13 billion in technology and infrastructure over the past five years to combat fraud.

“BioCatch will help our clients stop fraud before it reaches the point of payment,” Visa executive Andrew Torre said.

The transaction also represents a striking rise in value for BioCatch. Private equity giant Permira acquired majority control of the company at a valuation of roughly $1.3 billion in 2024, paying about $750 million for a 60% stake. Permira says BioCatch’s revenue and gross profit subsequently grew approximately threefold. Visa is now buying the company from Permira funds and other shareholders for nearly twice that earlier valuation.

Founded in Israel in 2011 by Avi Turgeman and the late Benny Rosenbaum, BioCatch emerged from the idea that every person interacts with computers and mobile devices in subtly distinctive ways. That insight evolved into a fraud-detection platform now operating across some of the world’s largest financial institutions.

CEO Gadi Mazor has indicated that the Visa acquisition is not expected to fundamentally alter BioCatch’s operations, and he is expected to remain at the helm. For Visa, however, the acquisition could significantly expand its reach beyond securing individual payments and deeper into the digital banking session itself, where many modern scams begin long before a victim clicks “send.”