PCI DSS for Fintech & Service Providers
If you touch card data on behalf of others, you're a service provider -- and the validation bar is higher, with partners and card brands setting the terms.
Service providers face the ROC
Most service providers -- payment facilitators, gateways, processors -- must complete a QSA-led ROC regardless of transaction volume. Your customers' acquirers will ask for your AOC during their own validations, so your report is a sales asset as much as a compliance artifact.
Partner-driven scope
Card brands and enterprise partners often impose requirements beyond the baseline: specific SAQ types, ROC cadence, or additional testing. Map every partner's contractual security exhibit before scoping -- the strictest one sets your program.
Multi-framework strategy
Fintechs almost always need SOC 2 alongside PCI -- and often ISO 27001. A combined assessment program with one firm (Schellman, A-LIGN, BARR Advisory, KirkpatrickPrice) shares evidence across frameworks and cuts total cost versus separate engagements.
Realistic costs
Service-provider ROC: $40Kâ$200K+ depending on environment complexity. Combined PCI + SOC 2 programs: budget $75Kâ$300K all-in for year one. See the cost guide.
Assessors that fit this vertical
Schellman
Regulated or multi-framework buyers that want independence-first assessors and senior teams.
Coalfire
Large merchants and service providers that need a Level 1 ROC from a deeply experienced, high-volume assessor.
BARR Advisory
Cloud-native SaaS companies that need PCI plus SOC 2 or ISO from one firm.
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