Descubre por qué la confianza digital es el nuevo diferencial competitivo y cómo Mastercard lidera la lucha contra el fraude con tecnología y colaboración.
During the largest innovation conference in Latin America, held in Miami, N5—together with Fintech Americas—produced an exclusive podcast to explore the ideas, trends, and people shaping the future of global finance.
In this episode, Julián Colombo talks with Eduardo Sanchez, Senior Vice President of Security Solutions at Mastercard for Latin America and the Caribbean, about the challenges of cybersecurity in the financial ecosystem, the growing role of digital trust, and Mastercard’s massive investments in technology to protect every interaction—not just transactions.
An engineer by training and a self-declared geek, with experience in consulting and at Citibank, Eduardo has been with Mastercard for 16 years and leads initiatives that protect more than 3 billion users and 200 million acceptance points worldwide.
Watch the full interview now:
Key Themes and Insights from the Episode
1. Securing not just transactions—but every interaction
Eduardo emphasizes that today, security goes beyond just financial transactions. Mastercard aims to protect every point of interaction—whether with banks, fintechs, or retailers—because commerce is expanding far beyond the traditional financial ecosystem.
2. The asymmetry between attackers and defenders
Using a football analogy, Eduardo explains that in the cybersecurity game, fraudsters only need to score once to win, while companies must block every attempt. The ease and low cost of launching attacks create an uneven playing field and demand constant vigilance.
3. Trust as the foundation of the digital economy
Using a ride-hailing app or paying with a card involves a level of trust built on technology, clear rules, and brand promises. According to Eduardo, Mastercard works every day to ensure that each payment is secure—just like trusting a stranger to drive you safely to your destination.
4. Fraud: the world’s third-largest “economy”
With losses projected to reach $10 trillion by 2025, digital fraud is a colossal shadow economy. Eduardo warns that if cybercrime were a country, its GDP would be behind only the U.S. and China. Mastercard has already invested over $10 billion in security over the past six years through internal innovation and strategic acquisitions.
5. The rise of scams and the urgent need for education
Eduardo highlights the growing threat of scams such as phishing (fraud via fake emails), vishing (voice-based scams), and deepfakes (AI-generated fake voices or videos). He shares examples where criminals used cloned voices of family members to extort victims—and warns that 70% to 80% of attacks happen due to human error. Education is just as critical as technology in reducing risk.
6. A multilayered strategy: from global defense to tailored protection
Mastercard employs a multilayered security approach, with solutions like Safety Net—a global early detection tool that has blocked over $50 billion in suspicious transactions in the past three years. This layered protection spans from ecosystem-wide safeguards to tools customized for individual institutions.
7. Collaboration: the key to fighting cybercrime
To Eduardo, combating cybercrime requires coordination among competing companies, governments, associations, and law enforcement. Public-private collaboration is essential to creating a safe digital environment where everyone rows in the same direction—especially when the enemy is this sophisticated.
