Risk Associates recently certified Bank Al Falah's environment against PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) v3.2.1. By achieving its PCI DSS certification, Bank Alfalah can now ensure reduced risk of financial data loss and respond much more efficiently to potential threats. It comprises a set of data security and control requirements to ensure customers' security and sensitive card data and prevent the risk of fraud.
Bank Alfalah prioritizes customer data security and strives to provide secure payment channels to our valued customers. We trust that the PCI DSS Standard, which is administered by the Payment Card Industry Council and entails compliance with rigorous data security and control criteria, will bolster our defence mechanisms and ensure that our customers' data is safeguarded with best-in-class tools. Armed with PDI DSS, we aim to protect our data against potential threats and meet the challenges of the evolving cyberspace.
The occasion was graced by the CEO Bank Alfalah – Mr. Atif Bajwa, CIO – Mr. Mohib Hasan Khan and Head Contact Center and PCIDSS – Mr. Rahim Pirani along with their other division heads. From Risk Associates end, Managing Director Mr. Kashif Hassan, Sr. Manager Enterprise Risk Services – Mr. Raheel Iqbal and Sr. Manager Business Strategy – Mr. Hashim Mufti attended the session along with our other division heads..
Mr. Kashif Hassan, the Managing Director of Risk Associates, presented the certificate to President & CEO Bank Alfalah, Mr. Atif Bajwa, in a ceremony on the 7th of October 2021. Speaking on occasion, Mr. Kashif Hassan stated, “It has been a pleasure working with Bank Alfalah throughout the certification process and witnessing the commitment to data security displayed by the Bank Alfalah’s team and the security infrastructure in place. I congratulate them on achieving this compliance milestone and consider this as a mutual accomplishment for Risk Associates and Bank Alfalah. We wish Bank Alfalah success in their endeavours along the path to enhanced data security."
Expressing his views, at the ceremony, CIO Bank Alfalah, Mr. Mohib Hasan Khan stated, “We are thrilled and proud at the same time to have achieved this significant milestone, which shows our focus towards customer-centricity and data security. We at Bank Alfalah always emphasize securing and protecting our customers’ data. With the passage of time, technology and processes are evolving, and external threats are increasing day by day. PCI DSS compliance and certification are very important to curtail this advancing threat. Our accomplishment of implementing PCI DSS is reflected in the people, technologies and processes we employ in our environment." He further added, “Risk Associates, a PCI QSA firm, was engaged for this crucial project, and we are glad to have such professionals on board who assessed our environment in detail and guided us towards improving the security posture of our environment."
About Bank Alfalah
Bank Alfalah is one of the largest banks in Pakistan, with a network of 750+ branches across more than 200 cities in the country, and international presence in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain and the UAE. The Bank also has a representative office in Abu Dhabi. Bank Alfalah is owned and operated by the Abu Dhabi Group.
The Bank provides financial solutions to consumers, corporations, institutions and governments through a broad spectrum of products and services, including corporate and investment banking, consumer banking and credit, securities brokerage, commercial, SME, agri-finance, Islamic and asset financing solutions.
About Risk Associates
Risk Associates is a pioneer in PCI DSS Certifications in Pakistan with an unmatchable Cyber Security Certifications footprint including PCI DSS, PA DSS, PCI SSF, PCI PIN, PCI 3DS, ISO 27001, SWIFT, CSA, which targets all industry segments, locally and globally. Risk Associates provides its services across six (6) continents, with a presence in Australia, UK, Canada, Middle East, Pakistan, and Africa. Its mission is to mitigate risk by developing and providing comprehensive Compliance, Testing, Audits, Certifications and Management services. In addition, Risk Associates has the honour of being one of 28 firms worldwide that serve as executive committee members of the PCI Security Standards Council GEAR (Global Executive Assessor Roundtable).
It has been a pleasure working with Bank Alfalah through this certification project. Risk Associates commended the Bank Alfalah team for their combined efforts during the certification process. We congratulate Bank Alfalah to move achieved this industry accepted certification.
Achieving the PCI DSS is a testament to Bank Alfalah's utmost regard for our customer's data safety. The Bank will continue to rise to meet the challenges of data and payments security and earn and preserve the trust of our valued clients.