Financial Services IT: PCI-DSS + SOX Compliance for FinTech

Financial services companies face the most complex IT compliance landscape of any industry — PCI-DSS, SOX, and SEC cyber rules often apply simultaneously.

Financial services companies operate under a multi-layered compliance framework. Understanding which regulations apply to your specific business type is the essential first step.

PCI-DSS for Payment Processing

Any company storing, processing, or transmitting credit card data must comply with PCI-DSS 12 requirements covering secure network configuration, cardholder data protection, vulnerability management, access control, network monitoring, and information security policy. Using a PCI-compliant payment gateway (Stripe, Braintree) that handles card data directly can reduce your PCI scope from SAQ D (most complex) to SAQ A (simplest).

SOX IT Controls for Public Companies

SOX IT controls cover access controls for financial systems, audit trails for all financial data changes, change management for financial system modifications, data backup for financial data, and segregation of duties in financial workflows.

SEC Cybersecurity Disclosure Rules (2024)

The SEC now requires public companies to disclose material cybersecurity incidents within 4 business days and annual disclosure of cybersecurity risk management strategy. This creates a direct link between cybersecurity investment and SEC compliance — boards must now understand their cyber risk posture.