Visa has launched a new cyber threat intelligence platform designed to help financial institutions identify cyber threats before they develop into fraud, extending the cybersecurity capabilities it uses to protect its own global payments network.

Announced in Paris on Thursday, the Visa Threat Intelligence Platform (VTIP) combines cyber and payments intelligence to help banks and other financial institutions detect indicators of compromise, prioritise vulnerabilities and identify compromised payment credentials before they are exploited. The company said the platform is intended for security, fraud and risk teams seeking to connect cybersecurity incidents with potential financial crime.

Mandy Lamb, head of value-added services at Visa Europe, said fraud frequently stems from cyber incidents that are detected only after significant damage has occurred. "With the Visa Threat Intelligence Platform, we are helping financial institutions identify risks earlier and respond with greater precision before they may lead to fraud or financial loss," she said. Lamb added that combining cyber and payments intelligence would help clients protect customers, reduce fraud losses and strengthen confidence in digital payments.

Visa said the platform has been built using the same technology employed by its internal cyber defence operations team. According to the company, its systems block around 90 million cyberattacks and 11 million phishing emails each month across more than 200 countries as part of its efforts to protect the Visa payments network. It said VTIP was tested internally against real-world attacks before being made available to customers.

The platform includes several intelligence services tailored to the financial sector. These include threat intelligence based on malware activity, vulnerability intelligence highlighting relevant software exposures, brand intelligence designed to identify impersonation attempts, digital identity intelligence to help protect executives and employees from targeted attacks, and financial intelligence that identifies compromised payment credentials on the dark web and enriches them with VisaNet data.

Visa said cyberattacks targeting payment credentials can originate across the payments ecosystem, including merchants, issuers, acquirers, processors and service providers. Stolen credentials may subsequently be traded online before being used in fraudulent transactions, creating financial losses and operational disruption for affected organisations.

The launch forms part of Visa's broader investment in payment security. The company said it has invested more than $13 billion in technology over the past five years, including initiatives aimed at reducing fraud and strengthening network security.

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