We are proud to announce that Tropico Security has won the Italian edition of Mastercard For Fintechs 2026, one of the most prestigious fintech competitions in Europe. The award was presented at the Mastercard Innovation Forum 2026 in Milan, where a jury of top investors and industry leaders selected Tropico Security from among six outstanding Italian fintech finalists.
Next stop: the European finale in Milan this November, where we will face the top-ranked startups from Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, competing for €100,000 in marketing support, accelerated access to the Mastercard Start Path program, and direct mentorship from Mastercard executives and international fintech leaders.
What This Means for Cybersecurity and Fintech
For a cybersecurity startup to win a fintech competition is a signal for the entire ecosystem. Digital security is no longer a side element of financial services. It is central to how financial institutions operate, grow, and earn trust.
The jury recognized Tropico Security for its ability to deliver innovative, concrete solutions for businesses, with a specific focus on digital security, one of the most critical areas in modern financial infrastructure.
Our Approach: Turning Attackers’ Weapons Against Them
Tropico takes a radically different approach to cyber defense. Rather than endlessly chasing attackers, we turn their own tools and techniques into detection mechanisms.
Our proprietary deception technology transforms existing infrastructure into a minefield that attackers cannot avoid, regardless of the entry point. At the core of our platform is Reverse Phishing: a module that flips the phishing paradigm entirely, enabling organizations to recover stolen credentials immediately with zero false positives.
The result is a detection layer that is always-on, highly accurate, and completely passive with no disruption to operations.
The Award
The winning selection was made by a jury that included partners from Lumen Ventures, Plug and Play Tech Center, The Techshop SGR, Italian Angels for Growth, and Mastercard Italy. Tropico Security was singled out for transforming cyber risk into a detection opportunity, precisely the kind of innovation Mastercard built this program to surface.
“This recognition demonstrates the growing relevance of cybersecurity within the financial sector. We are proud to support this ecosystem with our technology.”
— Alessandro Raponi, CEO & Co-Founder, Tropico Security
What’s Next
The European finale takes place in Milan in November 2026. We will be representing Italy alongside winners from five other countries, competing for the top prize and for the opportunity to accelerate our growth alongside Mastercard’s global network.
We thank Mastercard for building a space where cybersecurity innovation and fintech ambition can meet and to our fellow finalists Smartwage, Tundr, Ciao Elsa, Fiskaly, and Hercle for raising the bar.
Read the full Mastercard press release →
mastercard.com
Tags: cybersecurity, fintech, reverse phishing, Mastercard For Fintechs, awards
