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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchMastercard announced its agreement to acquire Ekata on April 19, 2021, for $850 million in enterprise value. The deal closed on June 9, 2021. Ekata was an enterprise digital identity-verification and fraud-prevention company formed from Whitepages Pro—not a consumer identification app, and not the whole of Whitepages.
What Mastercard bought
Ekata sold tools to businesses that needed to assess whether an online customer, account, or transaction appeared legitimate. Its services were designed for enterprise use in account opening, customer onboarding, payment-risk assessment, marketplace trust and safety, and other digital interactions.
The company’s systems linked identity attributes such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, and IP addresses. Ekata described using a global identity graph, proprietary data, network-derived signals such as velocity and recency, machine-learning models, and APIs to provide scores, attributes, and risk indicators. Its tools also supported manual review when an automated result was ambiguous. Mastercard’s announcement described more than 2,000 business customers and partners and reach across more than 230 countries and territories; those are figures Mastercard reported at the time, not independently audited market totals. Mastercard’s acquisition announcement and Ekata’s 2019 company description outline those capabilities.
This is different from scanning a government ID or authenticating a user by confirming control of a password, device, or credential. Identity verification evaluates whether information plausibly corresponds to a real person or business; authentication checks access or control. A risk score is not definitive proof of identity, and Ekata should not be described as a credit bureau on the basis of these materials.
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#1 Best Overall
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Why Mastercard wanted Ekata
Mastercard said Ekata’s identity technology would complement its existing digital identity, cybersecurity, and fraud-prevention capabilities. The stated goal was to help businesses make real-time trust decisions across online interactions, including onboarding and payments. Mastercard also pointed to applications in open banking and broader digital commerce. Its investor announcement framed the purchase as part of a wider digital-identity strategy.
The strategic logic is that fraud screening can matter before a payment reaches the authorization stage. Identity signals may help a merchant, bank, marketplace, or fintech assess an account during onboarding, rather than relying only on information available at checkout. That could extend Mastercard’s role from processing payments toward supplying infrastructure for deciding whether digital interactions merit trust. This is an interpretation of the companies’ stated product descriptions, not a disclosed financial forecast or proof of a particular business outcome.
Rank #2
- Cards are shipped active and ready for use.
- This card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Funds do not expire. If available funds remain on your card after the valid thru date has passed, please call customer service for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout. No fees after purchase.
- Double check if the URL/website is genuine before entering card details online. Do not provide any gift card details (example: claim code) to someone you do not know or trust. There are a variety of scams in which fraudsters try to trick others into paying with gift cards.
- If you believe that your Card has been lost or stolen, notify Mastercard immediately by calling 1-833-791-7288. You will be asked to provide the Gift Card number and other identifying information.
- Use your Mastercard Gift Card in the U.S. everywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted, including online. Your Amazon.com Balance cannot be used to purchase Mastercard gift cards.
Mastercard said Ekata’s team would join the company and that the combined effort would focus on identity, fraud prevention, privacy, customer control, and security. Mastercard’s announcement said the acquisition was not expected to be dilutive for more than 24 months; that was the company’s expectation when it announced the deal, not a guarantee of later performance.
How Ekata came from Whitepages
Whitepages had both a consumer-facing service, Whitepages.com, and a business-focused identity and data operation called Whitepages Pro. On June 12, 2019, Whitepages announced that it was separating the B2B operation from its U.S.-focused consumer business. Whitepages Pro became Ekata, while Whitepages.com continued to serve consumers. Both businesses retained Seattle headquarters but pursued different audiences and product strategies. The spinout announcement and GeekWire’s report on the restructuring describe the split.
Rank #3
- Cards are shipped active and ready for use.
- This card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Funds do not expire. If available funds remain on your card after the valid thru date has passed, please call customer service for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout. No fees after purchase.
- Double check if the URL/website is genuine before entering card details online. Do not provide any gift card details (example: claim code) to someone you do not know or trust. There are a variety of scams in which fraudsters try to trick others into paying with gift cards.
- If you believe that your Card has been lost or stolen, notify Mastercard immediately by calling 1-833-791-7288. You will be asked to provide the Gift Card number and other identifying information.
- Use your Mastercard Gift Card in the U.S. everywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted, including online. Your Amazon.com Balance cannot be used to purchase Mastercard gift cards.
Mastercard therefore acquired the separated enterprise identity-verification business, not Whitepages.com or the entire Whitepages company. At the time of the 2021 announcement, Mastercard identified Ekata as based in Seattle with offices in Amsterdam, Singapore, and Budapest.
What the $850 million figure means
The widely cited $850 million was the announced enterprise value. Mastercard’s later financial reporting gave a different figure for the cash consideration paid: $861 million. The company said that amount was based on the $850 million enterprise value, adjusted for cash and net working capital at closing. The figures describe related but distinct parts of the transaction, so $861 million should not replace the headline enterprise-value figure without explanation. Mastercard’s 2023 Form 10-K reports the later accounting detail.
Rank #4
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| Figure | What it represents |
|---|---|
| $850 million | Enterprise value announced for the transaction on April 19, 2021. |
| $861 million | Cash consideration later reported by Mastercard, based on the $850 million enterprise value and adjusted for cash and net working capital at closing. |
Mastercard’s 2023 filing also said the acquisition’s goodwill reflected expected synergies, including geographic, product, and customer expansion, as well as the acquired technology and workforce. Goodwill is an accounting allocation; it is not another version of the purchase price.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Deal timeline and status
- June 12, 2019: Whitepages announced that its B2B Whitepages Pro operation was separating and becoming Ekata.
- April 19, 2021: Mastercard announced an agreement to acquire Ekata for $850 million in enterprise value. The proposed transaction remained subject to regulatory review and customary closing conditions, with Mastercard expecting completion within six months.
- June 9, 2021: Mastercard completed the acquisition. The closing announcement described Ekata as joining Mastercard. Mastercard’s closing release confirms the date.
- Later financial reporting: Mastercard reported $861 million in cash consideration, reflecting adjustments to the announced enterprise value.
Mastercard’s current identity materials describe Ekata as part of Mastercard’s identity capabilities. The acquisition is completed, not a pending deal. Mastercard’s identity security and privacy page provides its current corporate framing.
What identity-based fraud screening can—and cannot—do
Identity data can help businesses spot mismatches or patterns that warrant closer attention, but it is not infallible. Data coverage and quality can vary by geography, population, language, and source. A legitimate customer may look unusual to a model, while a bad actor may present consistent information. False positives can block or delay real customers, making review procedures and ways to resolve errors important parts of deployment.
- Use signals as evidence, not proof: a risk score supports a decision; it does not establish a person’s legal identity.
- Match the tool to the task: identity-data linking and risk intelligence are not interchangeable with document scanning, biometric liveness checks, KYC/AML onboarding, or transaction monitoring.
- Set governance controls: businesses need clear permitted purposes, data-retention rules, security protections, and procedures for consequential decisions and human review.
- Assess regional fit: privacy and data-use obligations, as well as the usefulness of particular signals, differ across markets.
Mastercard’s materials emphasize privacy, security, and customer control, but those are company commitments and positioning; they do not by themselves establish independent outcomes for every deployment. Its Ekata service agreement describes service terms and data use, while its identity security and privacy materials set out Mastercard’s stated approach.
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