usd AG has once again been appointed to the Global Executive Assessor Roundtable (GEAR) of the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC). This means that, for the 2026–2028 term, we will once again be among the 33 PCI Assessor Companies selected worldwide to support the PCI SSC in its work. We are particularly pleased that this marks our uninterrupted membership on the Round Table since the GEAR’s founding in 2018.
The GEAR serves as a direct channel for communication between senior leadership of payment security assessors and PCI SSC senior leadership. Every two years, companies from around the world are selected to serve as strategic partners, contributing industry, geographical, and technical insight to PCI SSC plans and projects on behalf of the assessor community. This includes, among other things, providing input on the further development of quality standards, offering feedback on certification programs, and engaging in dialogue on strategic issues and directions within the PCI ecosystem.
The Global Executive Assessor Roundtable brings together experienced industry leaders whose expertise and perspectives help guide the continued evolution of PCI security standards and programs. We look forward to working with usd AG as we continue advancing our shared mission of helping organizations protect payment data around the world.
Gina Gobeyn, Executive Director des PCI SSC
With this latest appointment, we are now entering our fifth term on the GEAR. It underscores the PCI SSC’s long-standing trust in the technical expertise and practical experience of our colleagues in the Security Audits & PCI division. For more than 20 years, they have been supporting companies worldwide in implementing and assessing PCI requirements in complex payment environments.
We combine our experience from PCI audits with insights gained from other security audits, security consulting, and technical security analyses. As a result, at GEAR, we bring a perspective that looks at PCI requirements within the context of modern security architectures, emerging threat landscapes, regulatory developments, and the growing influence of AI on security risks and audit processes.
Payment security is constantly evolving. New technologies, regulatory requirements, and changing threat landscapes present new challenges for our clients and the entire payments industry. This makes close collaboration between the PCI SSC and the assessors who work on international projects every day even more important. We look forward to continuing to share our practical experience during the new term.
Christopher Kristes, Board Member usd Security Audits & PCI
You can find the official PCI SSC press release here.
