The Organization of American States (OAS) and the company Mastercard signed an agreement today to work together to strengthen cyber resilience in the Americas, during a ceremony held at the headquarters of the hemispheric institution in Washington, DC.
The OAS Secretary for Multidimensional Security, Ivan Marques, highlighted how cybercrime, ransomware, and attacks on critical infrastructure are growing in scale and sophistication, affecting governments, businesses, and citizens alike. "Addressing these challenges requires more than government action alone. The private sector is at the forefront of innovation and expertise in cybersecurity. Companies like Mastercard are essential partners in securing financial systems and building trust in digital commerce," added Secretary Marques, who signed the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the OAS Secretary General, Albert R. Ramdin.
For his part, Mastercard's Chief Security Officer, Mike Lashlee, emphasized his company's "strong interest" in collaborating with the OAS to combat fraud and cybercrime, and to help raise market capacity in understanding the fundamentals of cyber defense. "We at Mastercard are excited to be able to enter this partnership with the OAS. Foundational to what we do are the public-private partnerships and helping to secure the entire digital ecosystem, in this case that of the OAS member nations," added Director Lashlee.
The OAS-Mastercard alliance will promote cooperation in key areas: a tri-sector cyber defense exercise in Mexico City bringing together government, private sector, and technical actors; strengthening cybersecurity maturity frameworks for National Computer Emergency Response Teams; and education and training programs to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals in the region, along with flagship OAS initiatives such as the Cybersecurity Summer Bootcamp in Spain and the Cybersecurity Symposium in Panama.
Reference: FNE-144744
