Dubai, UAE: The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), a global standards body for the payment card industry, and Al Etihad Payments (AEP), a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at enhancing payment data security in the UAE. Al Etihad Payments has joined the PCI Security Standards Council as an Affiliate Member from the UAE region to help define standards and influence adoption by their constituents who process, store, or transmit cardholder data.

The PCI Security Standards Council introduced Affiliate membership in 2012 as part of a continued drive to leverage industry expertise and broaden global input into the standards development process. This category offers Affiliate members the opportunity to become active participants in PCI working groups, in addition to playing an integral role in the standards development process.

As the UAE's national payments entity, Al Etihad Payments is responsible for creating and managing key financial market infrastructure across the country, including Aani, the instant payment platform and Jaywan, UAE’s domestic card scheme. By joining the PCI Security Standards Council, Al Etihad Payments aims to improve payment security standards in the region, ensuring that the UAE's growing payment ecosystem remains secure and resilient. This partnership highlights AEP's commitment to developing digital payments while maintaining the highest levels of security for all participants in the financial ecosystem.

“We are happy to extend a warm welcome to Al Etihad Payments as a new member of the PCI Security Standards Council's exclusive Affiliate Membership. The Middle East has been one of PCI SSC's top priority markets. Al Etihad Payments joining PCI SSC as an Affiliate Member will enhance the value of protecting payment data with data security standards in a changing payment ecosystem, which is essential to creating a strong payments infrastructure with security at its core,” said Nitin Bhatnagar, Regional Director India, South Asia and Middle East at PCI SSC. “The regional expertise that Al Etihad Payments will bring to the Council will only enhance the quality, applicability, and relevance of PCI standards and guidance documents across all payment options and methods used. PCI SSC welcomes more organizations from United Arab Emirates to join the Council’s growing community to help the education and implementation of strong payment security standards in the region.”

Hani Bani Amer, Head of Information Security at Al Etihad Payments, added, “We are proud to join forces with the PCI Security Standards Council as an Affiliate Member. This partnership reinforces our commitment to safeguarding payment data and ensuring the UAE's financial ecosystem adheres to the highest international security standards, not only by implementing them, but also in taking an active role in standards development. At Al Etihad Payments, we are focused on enhancing trust in the digital payment infrastructure, and this collaboration with PCI SSC will enable us to contribute meaningfully to global security efforts while ensuring our national systems remain resilient and secure."

About Al Etihad Payments

Al Etihad Payments (AEP), as the national payments entity in the UAE, plays a crucial role in developing and operating the best in-class national payments infrastructure. Driven by a mission to support the government's vision of a society less reliant on cash and national digitization, AEP strategically positions itself to provide innovative and interoperable payment solutions, enable financial institutions to enhance customer experience, and fortify a robust, efficient, and secure financial market infrastructure for the UAE. For more information, please visit Al Etihad Payments website: https://aep.ae.

About the PCI Security Standards Council

The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) leads a global, cross-industry effort to increase payment security by providing industry-driven, flexible and effective data security standards and programs that help businesses detect, mitigate and prevent cyberattacks and breaches. Connect with PCI SSC on LinkedIn. Join the conversation on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) @PCISSC. Subscribe to the PCI Perspectives Blog. Listen to the Coffee with the Council podcast.