Commercialbank (Cb) yesterday said it has been awarded the PCI Security Certificate, making its card services the first and only payment platform in Qatar to have received the coveted security certificate.
Cb deputy CEO Abdulla al-Raisi with Cb and VISA officials at the bank’s head office
The certification recognises the world-class data security standards the bank applies in protecting customer information and preventing payment card fraud, according to a Cb spokesman.
“This successful certification proves that the Bank’s security is in line with the strict requirements of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), based on global international standards,” said the spokesman.
The certification was achieved after an extensive independent audit by certified auditors, to meet the payment industry data security standards and compliance requirements by Visa and Mastercard.
The PCI DSS standard represents the best practices defined by industry-wide requirements for security management, policies, procedures, network architecture, software design and other critical protective measures that service providers must adhere to, in order to safeguard sensitive data.
Providers must undergo an annual on-site PCI Data Security Assessment by an independent Qualified Security Assessor to attain compliance. During the thorough examination of compliance, Commercialbank Card Services thoroughly fulfilled all the security requirements, he said.
“For Cb, as a provider of international full-service solutions for non-cash, card-based payments it was a matter of course to implement the highest security standards. Being the first bank in Qatar to achieve the PCI DSS is a continued measure of our commitment to protect the security of our customers and will raise our card business to a new level of quality,” said Andy Stevens, Cb Group CEO.
By getting their systems certified, Cb has proved its strong commitment to high data security standards and protection of cardholder data they access and process, according to Kamran Siddqi, general manager (Middle East), Visa.
“As the card payment landscape continues to evolve, information protection, risk mitigation, security and controls remain the ultimate concern. The bank’s principal focus is on security and privacy issues,” said John Dolton, acting CEO, Orient, principal technology officer, Cb.
