Top Takeaways from the Visa CEMEA Security Summit 2025
While robust security measures offer powerful defenses, staying ahead of evolving threats requires continuous learning and adaptation, a need underscored at the Visa Security Summit 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Held from 25 – 26 February, the summit brought together thought leaders and industry experts from across Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa to engage in open dialogue – exploring strategies and cutting-edge solutions shaping the next-gen experience. They deliberated over the ever-evolving digital world and the need to protect the integrity of experiences, from buying a cup of coffee to moving money across devices and borders.
1. The Rising Tide of Digital Payments
Across CEMEA, the story of payments is one of quiet transformation where cash, once the undisputed king, is being fast overtaken by digital payments. Back in 2019, cash accounted for a notable 65% of all payment volumes in the region; however, by 2024, the share of cash declined to 43%1. Africa’s digital economy alone is projected to reach a staggering $300 billion by 20252, with digital payments growing 29% annually3.
2. AI Powers Personalized Commerce and Secures Growing Threat
AI advancements are ushering in an era of agentic commerce, with intelligent agents personalizing consumer experiences, and saving time and money. The rise of AI has also led to an increase in social engineering attacks, demanding a fundamental shift in how we approach cybersecurity. Cybercriminals are now leveraging Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN AI) to create highly convincing audio and video deepfakes, making it harder than ever to distinguish reality from fake.
At the same time, AI offers a powerful countermeasure, playing a critical role in securing the payments ecosystem, detecting fraud, and enhancing security measures. Visa understands the power of AI in the fight against fraud, processing over 22 billion events daily4, and using AI to identify and stop cybercriminals before they can infiltrate its network. The benefits of AI in cybersecurity have not gone unnoticed, with 95% of organizations rethinking their security strategies, while 65% are now considering AI’s role in cybersecurity5.
The key is to adapt and innovate faster than the attackers, building more resilient systems and empowering individuals to become the first line of defense against AI-powered social engineering.
3. Continuing to Build Trust and Security in the Payments Ecosystem
The world of payments has undergone a seismic shift in the last five years compared to the 50 years prior, making the integrity of the payments’ ecosystem paramount to long-term success. As consumers become increasingly wary of cyber threats, a strong emphasis on security has emerged as a key differentiator for digital payments.
Investments in technologies designed to alert and notify consumers about potential scams have proven remarkably effective, with 76% of CEMEA consumers6 expressing significant trust in digital payments. Consumers feel safer with tangible security measures, such as two-factor authentication and security badges.
Despite these advancements, consumer education remains a critical component of safeguarding digital experiences, as people often represent the weakest link in the security chain. 86% of consumers7 still admit susceptibility to common scams, highlighting the ongoing need for effective education.
4. RTP and A2A Payments: Opportunities and Risks
Real-time payments (RTP) are gaining traction worldwide, with Saudi Arabia emerging as the Middle East’s largest RTP market, where transactions are expected to hit $1.2 billion by 20278. Account-to-Account (A2A) payments, whether facilitated through RTP systems or mobile money services like M-Pesa across Africa, are fast, secure, and direct. For example, A2A payments are becoming increasingly critical for content creators, enabling them to access near-instant payouts and responding to their need for fast, reliable, and small-scale transactions.
As RTPs are projected to account for 30%9 of all digital payments by 2027, the threat of authorized push payment fraud looms large. By 2028, it's estimated that approximately 80%10 of fraud losses from authorized push payments will occur through RTP rails. Governments attempting to manage RTP networks independently have also faced challenges, including fraud and security vulnerabilities.
To proactively protect the flow of funds, Visa is developing and deploying innovative security solutions specifically designed for RTP and A2A payments. Tools like Visa Protect for A2A help verify endpoints and prevent fraud, while innovations such as dispute resolution mechanisms and payment orchestration layers enhance reliability and safety.
5. Securing the Tokenization Process
Over 40%11 of transactions in CEMEA are now tokenized, experiencing a remarkable 37%12 year-on-year growth. On average, token-based transactions drive a 30% reduction in fraud online compared with PAN (16-digit card number) and a 4% uplift in authorization13.
Despite the inherent security benefits of tokenization, consumers remain the weakest link, and fraudsters are exploiting this vulnerability to capture PANs and create fraudulent tokens. Adding to the challenge, a significant 45%14 of device-bound token requests currently fail, hindering the promise of a best-in-class customer experience.
Visa is committed to enhancing token provisioning by incorporating multiple layers of data into a comprehensive security strategy. This includes leveraging push provisioning, geolocation data, blacklists, and other advanced techniques to strengthen the token creation process and ensure a seamless, secure experience for consumers.
6. Serving and Supporting SMEs
The economic future of many emerging is largely dependent on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) contributing up to 40% of GDP15 in some regions. But for SMEs to truly thrive, they need a collaborative ecosystem – a network of payment providers, financial institutions, businesses, and government stakeholders working together. Equally crucial is fostering a positive outlook towards digital payments.
Visa’s latest Value of Acceptance Report unveils increased digital payment adoption across CEMEA, particularly in South Africa, where a notable 80% of SMEs embrace digital payments. By leveraging data insights into small business cash flows, banks can now extend credit to businesses previously deemed too risky, fueling further growth.
7. Operational Resilience and Business Continuity
Visa takes immense pride in the resilient architecture of VisaNet, a robust network processing approximately 63 billion16 transactions in the last quarter of 2024 alone. Its resilience strategy encompasses three key pillars: capabilities, people, and processes, highlighting the critical role that skilled people and well-defined processes play in achieving operational excellence.
As organizations adapt to changing business needs, strong governance, executive buy-in, and a culture of continuous learning are essential for building resilience. Enhanced resilience directly boosts cybersecurity, making infrastructure more secure and better protected against evolving threats.
The Visa Security Summit 2025 underscored a critical truth: trust is key to a thriving digital payments ecosystem. As CEMEA’s digital landscape rapidly evolves, fueled by AI and innovative payment methods, security must remain top of mind.
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1Visa Stay Secure Study 2024
2Open Knowledge Repository, World Bank Group, 2019
3Mobile Money and FinTech Innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa, Finextra, 9 July 2024
4Visa Data
5Exabeam 2024 State of the Security Team global research
6Visa Stay Secure Study 2024
7Visa Stay Secure Study 2024
8https://www.ft.com/partnercontent/24fintech/emerging-trends-in-middle-easts-electronic-payments-landscape.html
9Visa Data
10Visa Data
11Visa Data
12Visa Data
13A deep dive on tokens, Visa Commercial Solutions, White Paper
14Visa Data
15Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Finance, World Bank Group
16Visa Data
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