PCI SSC Establishes The First India-South Asia Regional Engagement Board For 2025-2026

The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) announced its first PCI SSC Regional Engagement Board (REB) in the India and South Asia region. REB members act as advisors to the Council on payment security issues and challenges in the region, and as ambassadors for helping increase education and awareness of PCI SSC standards and best practices for safe payments. This is the second REB to be established by the Council following the launch of the Brazil REB in 2018.

“The Council continues to gain valuable insight and understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities in the payment security space through our original Regional Engagement Board in Brazil. We wanted to duplicate that experience by expanding this model into other important payment regions in the world,” said Gina Gobeyn, Executive Director of PCI SSC. “The formation of a REB in the India-South Asia region represents an important step in global collaboration with the Council and highlights the significance of the India-South Asia market in the world of payment security.” 

The 27 organizations selected to serve on the inaugural 2025-2026 India-South Asia REB represent leaders from all sectors in the Indian-South Asian payments industry – including vendors, merchants, processors, service providers, banks, and industry associations. The new Board includes:

"I am excited to welcome the new India-South Asia Regional Engagement Board members for their 2025-2026 tenure,” said Nitin Bhatnagar, PCI SSC Regional Director, India, South Asia, and the Middle East. “This is indeed a proud moment for the region as payment industry stakeholders will be more involved in shaping a more secure payments ecosystem amid evolving cybersecurity challenges in a dynamic market like India and South Asia.”

The Board will meet regularly throughout the year to discuss payment data security best practices, threat trends, and market changes.