PCI DSS Compliance for Fintech — 90-Day Assessment Pathway
Payment gateways, digital wallets, lending platforms, and embedded finance providers across Asia-Pacific trust EIC's fast-track assessment programme. 200+ organisations secured. Zero breaches since 2016. PCI SSC-listed QSA Organisation with CREST accreditation.
Fintech at a Glance
Why Compliance Hits Fintech Differently
Fintech companies face compliance pressure from every direction — investors, banking partners, card networks, and regulators — often with lean teams and tight launch deadlines.
Banking Partner Requirements
Acquiring banks and payment network partners increasingly require a current PCI DSS Attestation of Compliance — and often ISO 27001 certification — before onboarding fintech partners. Without validated compliance, your go-to-market timeline stalls. This is not optional: no compliance means no partnership.
Speed-to-Market Pressure
Investors expect product launches in weeks, not months. Traditional compliance timelines of 6–12 months are incompatible with fintech velocity. You need a QSA who understands agile development, cloud-native architecture, and microservices — not one calibrated for legacy banking environments.
Multi-Market Regulatory Complexity
Expanding across Asia-Pacific means navigating PCI DSS alongside local central bank requirements — Bangladesh Bank licensing, MAS guidelines in Singapore, BNM frameworks in Malaysia. Each jurisdiction adds regulatory layers on top of card network mandates.
Services for Fintech & Payment Companies
Every service listed here has been delivered to fintech companies — payment gateways, digital wallets, lending platforms, and embedded finance providers across our seven markets.
PCI DSS Compliance
ROC, AOC, and SAQ assessments for payment processors, gateways, and card-handling environments. CardIntel-driven scoping reduces assessment time by identifying exactly where cardholder data lives in your cloud-native stack.
CardIntel Platform
Identifies cardholder data across databases, logs, API payloads, and backup systems. Typically reduces PCI DSS scope by 20–40%, translating directly into a faster assessment and lower cost.
ISO 27001 Certification
Most banking partners and enterprise clients require ISO 27001 alongside PCI DSS. EIC’s integrated approach consolidates evidence collection and testing, saving 20–30% when both certifications are pursued together.
Penetration Testing
CREST-accredited testing for payment APIs, mobile wallets, and cloud infrastructure. PCI DSS Requirement 11.4 mandates annual penetration testing — EIC’s QSA-qualified testers ensure your test meets assessor expectations.
Fintech Compliance Requirements by Market
EIC operates across all seven markets, providing local regulatory knowledge alongside international certification standards.
| Market | Regulator | Key Fintech Requirements | EIC Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | Bangladesh Bank / BFIU | MFS licensing, PCI DSS for payment service providers, ICT Guidelines for financial institutions | PCI DSS QSA, ISO 27001, VAPT |
| Singapore | MAS | Payment Services Act licensing, TRM Guidelines, Notice 655, MAS outsourcing requirements | PCI DSS QSA, ISO 27001, VAPT |
| Malaysia | BNM | RMiT Framework, e-money licensing, PCI DSS for payment facilitators | PCI DSS QSA, ISO 27001, VAPT |
| Vietnam | SBV | Circular 09, e-wallet licensing, IT security requirements for payment intermediaries | PCI DSS QSA, ISO 27001, VAPT |
| Philippines | BSP | Circular 1140 e-money framework, ITRMF cybersecurity requirements | PCI DSS QSA, ISO 27001, VAPT |
| Nepal | NRB | Payment Systems Department licensing, IT governance guidelines | PCI DSS QSA, ISO 27001, VAPT |
| Bahrain | CBB | Fintech Regulatory Sandbox, Payment Service Provider licensing, cybersecurity framework | PCI DSS QSA, ISO 27001, VAPT |
How a Payment Gateway Achieved PCI DSS in 11 Weeks
Regional Payment Gateway — Asia-Pacific
A fast-growing payment gateway processing transactions across three Southeast Asian markets needed to validate PCI DSS compliance to onboard a major acquiring bank. The challenge: a lean engineering team of 12, a cloud-native microservices architecture, and a 90-day deadline set by the banking partner.
EIC deployed CardIntel to map cardholder data flows across 14 microservices, identifying 4 services that could be removed from PCI DSS scope entirely. This reduced the cardholder data environment by 30%, simplifying the assessment. The gap analysis, remediation support, and formal ROC assessment were completed within 11 weeks — three weeks ahead of the banking partner's deadline.
Fintech Compliance FAQ
Answers to the most common questions fintech companies ask when starting their compliance journey.
Related Industries & Resources
Banking & Financial Services
PCI DSS, SWIFT CSP, and ISO 27001 for banks and financial institutions.
View Industry →E-commerce
PCI DSS and web application security for online merchants and marketplaces.
View Industry →PCI DSS Compliance Guide
Comprehensive guide to PCI DSS v4.0 requirements and certification process.
Read Guide →Ready to Get Your Fintech Compliant?
Book a free 30-minute scoping call. We will map your cardholder data environment, recommend the right PCI DSS pathway, and give you a fixed-fee quote — no obligation.