Mastercard and Recorded Future Pledge to Strengthen Cybersecurity Skills Across the European Union

Mastercard and Recorded Future[i] intend to join the European Union Cybersecurity Skills Academy, to pledge to help close the cybersecurity skills and talent gap across the EU through free, practical training initiatives delivered by the end of 2028.

As part of the pledge, Mastercard looks forward to providing hands-on cybersecurity learning experiences to more than 650 small businesses professionals, university students and faculty, including masterclasses, training licenses and expert-led workshops. It also anticipates 100 European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will receive targeted cyber hygiene training to help strengthen their digital resilience.

By investing in accessible, practice‑oriented cybersecurity education, the initiative aims to support Europe’s efforts to build a stronger, more resilient digital ecosystem- empowering businesses, educators, and future cyber professionals alike.

Expected Initiatives Supporting the Pledge

Cybersecurity masterclass for university students. An immersive masterclass for students enrolled in Computer Science and Cybersecurity programmes, combining foundational and advanced corporate cybersecurity concepts. Topics include organisational security frameworks, incident response and crisis management, threat and vulnerability analysis, and risk mitigation, supported by interactive simulations and hands-on exercises.

Recorded Future training licenses for SMEs, students and faculty. Through this initiative, Recorded Future plans to provide temporary access to its Intelligence Operations Platform for hands-on training.

• 100 SME professionals in operational cybersecurity related roles to receive training covering threat intelligence, phishing and malware defence, data protection and incident response.
• 250 university students and faculty to receive academic training licenses, including curriculum integration support and access to expert resources for academic use.

Expert-led workshops on advanced threat intelligence. Recorded Future to host a series of virtual workshops delivered by cybersecurity experts, focused on advanced threat intelligence and practical applications for students and young professionals. 

Securing SMEs: Enhancing cybersecurity and cyber hygiene. A planned new online initiative providing 100 European SMEs with practical, accessible training to strengthen their cybersecurity posture. The programme focuses on core cyber-hygiene practices, including system updates, strong password management, phishing and malware prevention, secure data backup and recovery, and email protection.

Ongoing commitment

Mastercard and Recorded Future are committed to reviewing and updating the status of these pledge initiatives every six months.

For more information, visit the European Commission’s Digital Skills & Jobs platform: Mastercard & Recorded Future – EU Cyber Skills Academy Pledge | Digital Skills and Jobs Platform.