American Express invests in Israeli cyber firm Zafran as financial sector faces new AI risks
Funding extension underscores urgency of protecting complex digital infrastructure.
American Express, the U.S. credit card giant, is investing in Israeli cybersecurity company Zafran Security. The investment, estimated at several million dollars, is an extension of the $60 million funding round Zafran recently raised. The investment was made through Amex Ventures.
Zafran raised $60 million in new funding last December, in a round led by Menlo Ventures, with participation from existing investors Sequoia Capital and Cyberstarts, in addition to PSP Growth, Vintage Investment Partners, and Knollwood Investment. That financing brought the company’s total raised to $130 million.
The company did not disclose its valuation, but said it has doubled its value since the previous round and more than tripled annual recurring revenue (ARR).
Zafran was founded in 2022 by Sanaz Yashar (CEO), Ben Seri (CTO), and Snir Havdala (CPO). The company employs about 120 people across Israel, the U.S., and Europe, and plans to hire about 100 more in 2026.
Zafran is designed to serve as the “defensive coordinator” for complex security programs where many tools must work together. It aligns coverage across environments and exposes where defenses may break down in real-world conditions.
Zafran integrates across the full breadth of an organization’s existing security stack and consolidates these inputs into a unified view of exposure.
“Critical infrastructure institutions, such as financial and healthcare, are under constant pressure to innovate while maintaining trust, resilience, and regulatory confidence,” said Sanaz Yashar, Co-founder and CEO of Zafran Security. “We built Zafran to serve as the defensive coordinator for complex environments. We help teams see where the real risk is, align their existing tools, and mobilize action to stop exploitation without disrupting the business.”
“As financial systems become more complex and interconnected, visibility and coordination across security controls become essential,” said Kevin Weber, Managing Director at Amex Ventures. “Zafran’s approach aligns with how leading financial organizations think about managing risk at scale while continuing to innovate.”
