LENDING its weight to global payment data security, Smartcomply, the African cybersecurity and compliance technology company helping financial institutions automate regulatory compliance, fraud monitoring, and risk management, had announced that it has joined the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) as a new Associate Participating Organisation.

This move makes it one of the first Nigerian companies in the cybersecurity and compliance technology category to formally contribute to the development of the world’s most influential payment data security standards.

The PCI SSC leads a global, cross-industry effort to increase payment security by providing flexible, industry-driven, and effective data security standards. The Council brings together more than 700 Participating Organisations from over 60 countries, including the world’s largest payment networks, financial institutions, and technology providers.

Smartcomply’s membership extends the African voice in this global community. The company’s flagship platforms (Adhere for AML, KYC and fraud detection, and Seequre for GRC and cybersecurity automation) serve more than 100 financial institutions across the continent. Smartcomply was named a verified member of the Mastercard Engage Partner Program earlier this year, and recently expanded into the United Kingdom.

“Joining the PCI Security Standards Council is an important milestone for Smartcomply as we continue building secure and scalable compliance infrastructure for financial institutions across emerging and global markets. As digital payments continue to grow, collaboration around payment security standards becomes more critical. We are excited to contribute to the future of secure payment ecosystems while helping businesses across Africa strengthen trust, compliance, and fraud prevention,” said Gbemisola Osunrinde, Chief Executive Officer, Smartcomply.

As an Associate Participating Organisation, Smartcomply will add its voice to the PCI Security Standards development process, collaborate with a growing community to improve payment security worldwide, and gain the opportunity to recommend new initiatives to the PCI Security Standards Council.

The company will share cross-sector experiences and African market insights at the Council’s annual community meetings.

Africa’s payments market has grown sharply over the past decade, with mobile money, instant payment infrastructure, and cross-border corridors expanding faster than the compliance frameworks designed to govern them.

Smartcomply’s participation in the Council positions the company to bring African operational realities into the global standards conversation, and to translate global standards back into actionable compliance for African financial institutions.

“In an era of increasingly sophisticated attacks on systems, PCI Security Standards and resources help organizations secure payment data and prevent, detect, and mitigate attacks that can lead to costly data breaches. By joining as an Associate Participating Organization, Smartcomply has the opportunity to play an active part in improving payment security globally by helping drive awareness and adoption of PCI Security Standards,” said Gina Gobeyn, Executive Director, PCI Security Standards Council.

Smartcomply’s PCI SSC participation adds to a year of milestones for the company. Earlier in 2026, Smartcomply was named a verified member of the Mastercard Engage Partner Program.

In May 2026, the company registered to operate in the United Kingdom, with its Adhere platform serving as the flagship for a pilot programme supporting UK financial institutions operating across African payment corridors.