DLA Piper advises Ekata in its US$850 million acquisition by Mastercard

DLA Piper represented Ekata, Inc., the global leader in dynamic identity verification solutions for real-time risk decisioning, in its agreement to be acquired by Mastercard for US$850 million.

Mastercard’s strategic acquisition of Ekata will enable Mastercard and Ekata to continue to meet the growing demands of, and threats to, the global payments ecosystem. In particular, Ekata’s global identity verification solutions will join Mastercard’s Cyber and Intelligence business to deliver a more comprehensive identity service that can power real-time decision-making needs, from new account openings to helping merchants assess potential fraud before a payment transaction is authorized.

Ekata’s proprietary technology, data assets and engineering prowess will add to Mastercard’s identity solutions to help bolster efforts to provide a one-stop partner for consumer, bank, merchant, fintech, and government data, payment and open banking needs.

“Ekata’s solutions are helping thousands of businesses prevent cyber fraud, and its acquisition by Mastercard will further advance our client’s goals and strategy,” said Trent Dykes, the DLA Piper partner who led the firm’s deal team. “It was a pleasure to bring our technology and financial services M&A experience to represent Ekata in this agreement.”

The DLA Piper team advising Ekata was led by Trent Dykes, Laura Klein and Brian Cadousteau (all of Seattle), with support from partners Victoria Lee, Nathaniel McKitterick, Eileen O’Pray and Cisco Palao-Ricketts (all of Silicon Valley), Paolo Morante (New York), Tyler Hollenbeck, Kate Lucente and Kerra Melvin (all of Seattle); of counsel Nia Brown (Washington, DC); associates Patrick Burri, Nick Gerlach (both of Silicon Valley), Lindsey Haythorn, Eric Liu, Wendy Novotne and Michael Pirog (all of Seattle); and paralegal Jennifer Tornow (Seattle).

With more than 1,000 corporate lawyers globally, DLA Piper helps clients execute complex cross-border transactions seamlessly while supporting clients across all stages of development. The firm has been rated number one in global M&A volume for 11 consecutive years, according to Mergermarket.

The firm’s global Technology sector lawyers work across practice areas and offices to support technology clients – from startups to fast-growing and mid-market businesses to mature global enterprises – doing business around the world.