The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) just announced it will establish a Brazil Regional Engagement Board. Regional Engagement Boards serve as advisors to the PCI SSC on payment data security issues in specific geographies and markets. They represent PCI SSC Participating Organizations and industry stakeholders from regions where increased input and engagement is needed to foster broad adoption of PCI Security Standards and improve payment security. In this post, we talk PCI SSC Associate Regional Director for Brazil about this new initiative and the role he sees it playing in PCI SSC’s mission of helping secure payment data around the world.
Why is the Brazil Regional Engagement important for the work PCI SSC is doing currently in Brazil?
Carlos Caetano: PCI SSC has been working tirelessly since August 2016 to increase awareness around the PCI Security Standards and support their adoption in Brazil. It has been mostly a one way communication from the PCI SSC providing information to Brazilian stakeholders, but the Regional Engagement Board will create a way for Brazilian stakeholders to provide information back to the PCI SSC. Elected companies will provide their expertise, challenges and advice related to Brazil.
What are some of the specific challenges in this region that you think the Regional Engagement Board could help with?
Carlos Caetano: As an EMV mature market, Brazil has been fighting card-not-present fraud for some years now, since it accounts today for more than 90% of fraud. Fraudsters in Brazil tend to be very smart, which means Brazilian companies are keen on deciding their security and risk prevention strategies. To add to this, Brazil ranks second globally on malicious activity traffic over the Internet. We will look to the Regional Engagement Board for its input and recommendations on how we can help secure payment data against the types of attacks and threats they are seeing in Brazil and to benefit other regions around the world.
Why should companies in Brazil get involved in this initiative?
Carlos Caetano: In my more than 12 years exclusively dedicated to work on card payment security, this is the first time I’ve seen an opportunity like this for Brazilian companies to provide direct advice and support to a global standards body as a regional body. All these years organizations in Brazil have relied on specific companies or representatives to bring their message up. Now organizations in Brazil can show the market they really care about security of payment data. Companies serving on the first ever Regional Engagement Board will be the first ambassadors of their industry/segment on this matter.
What do you hope to see come out of the Brazil Regional Engagement Board?
Carlos Caetano: I hope to see great support by the companies serving on the board in providing substantial feedback and advice to the PCI SSC. The Brazilian companies have much to contribute to global payment security, so I hope to see each one of them make use of this opportunity and help the PCI SSC to make payments safer, not only in Brazil but also around the world.
The nomination period for the Brazil Engagement Board runs from 1 – 30 November 2017. Primary, business and technical contacts at eligible organizations can self-nominate or nominate another individual as a candidate for the PCI SSC Brazil Regional Engagement Board. For help with login credentials, please contact support@pcisecuritystandards.org.
