Mastercard Unveils SME Card With Built-In Cybersecurity Solutions to Help Small and Medium Businesses Thrive in the Digital Economy

Mastercard enhanced its credit card value proposition for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Designed to address SMEs’ most pressing needs, the refreshed offering strengthens Mastercard’s commitment to supporting business owners as they build, grow, and protect their companies in an increasingly digital economy.

As part of this regional rollout, Mastercard has enhanced its SME card to integrate protection tools directly into the payment experience. The announcement was made during the Mastercard Innovation Forum 2025, where industry leaders and innovators gathered to explore how technology and collaboration are redefining the future of commerce.

The new cyber protections will be complemented with a refreshed suite of benefits built around strategic pillars identified by customer feedback: cybersecurity, new protections support, and digitalization.

“Every small business owner today is managing more than a balance sheet, they’re managing risk, reputation, and digital opportunity all at once,” said Walter Pimenta, Executive Vice President, Commercial and New Payment Flows, Mastercard Latin America and the Caribbean. “We know that for many SMEs, limited resources, lack of cybersecurity awareness, and access to credit remain critical pain points. That’s why Mastercard is working closely with financial institutions to close those gaps so SMEs can focus on what matters and their growth becomes sustainable and more secure.”

Building digital trust and resilience to help small and mid-sized businesses grow

Mastercard’s modern SME card suite introduces My Cyber Risk and Identity Theft Protection as part of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy that blends advanced technology, education, and partnership.

• My Cyber Risk gives SMEs a clear risk rating, a prioritized view of vulnerabilities, an inventory of internet-facing systems and practical remediation steps.
• Identity Theft Protection continuously monitors for compromised business credentials, including emails, bank accounts, and identification data, instantly alerting owners of potential incidents.

These benefits arrive at the right time, as only 23% of SMEs feel confident in their current protection plans.

Mastercard’s 2025 study, “SMEs: The Digital Payments Adoption Landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean,” found that 86% of small businesses have conducted risk assessments, but few feel fully equipped to respond to evolving threats. This insight guided the creation of Mastercard’s holistic ecosystem of security, powered by AI models that evaluate 159 billion transactions annually, assigning real-time risk scores in milliseconds to detect anomalies and reduce false declines.

Digital innovation that helps SMEs thrive beyond payments

Beyond cybersecurity, Mastercard’s renewed SME value proposition — launching on January 1, 2026 — introduces a comprehensive set of new tools and services. These include:

• DPO (Digital Presence Optimizer) by Beedigital helps SMEs boost sales by strengthening their online presence and reputation. The platform integrates and synchronizes business information across up to 50 digital channels making it easier for small businesses to be found by potential customers. This benefit will be launched in two phases: the first release for Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil in March, followed by the rest of the LAC markets on July 1st.
• New protections: SME home care for business card, missed flight connection for Executive and World Elite, and hotel/motel protection for the Black Business.
• LinkedIn business premium reimbursement.
• Remote legal and tax support provided by a new Mastercard partner Grupo Mok, (not available for Brazil).
• Enhanced protection for Brazilian market, increasing the limit coverage for purchase protection and extended warranty for Executive/Platinum and Black Business/World Elite for Business.

Likewise, Mastercard offers a range of offers platforms relevant to businesses and free educational resources to support SMEs in their growth:

• Easy Savings and Easy Savings Specials are Mastercard’s global merchant programs for SMEs, offering automatic cashback rewards at more than 50,000 participating merchants, along with exclusive business service offers and discounts.
• Surpreenda Empresas, free engagement platform designed to support Micro and Small businesses in their daily challenges for Brazilian SME Cardholders.
• Educational and mentoring platforms such as Strive eCommerce Toolkit, MicroMentor, Entrepreneur’s Odyssey, INCAE Virtual Accelerator and the Mastercard Trust Center, helping SMEs acquire digital skills, expand online, and strengthen financial resilience.

Finally, Mastercard offers additional platform services that can help businesses in their daily operations, B2B payments and cross border transactions:

Business Payment Controls, enabling better controls and management, as well as single-use virtual card issuance to facilitate B2B supplier payments.

Cross-border solutions like Mastercard Move, which simplify international payments and help SMEs reach new markets.

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