Verve International, the payment card subsidiary of Interswitch Group, has announced its membership in two global payments industry bodies, the PCI Security Standards Council and the NEXO Standards, in a move aimed at strengthening security and interoperability across its card ecosystem. The development is part of the company’s broader strategy to align Africa’s largest domestic card scheme with internationally recognised standards in cybersecurity and digital payments infrastructure.
By joining the PCI Security Standards Council, Verve gains a seat within the global forum responsible for developing the rules that protect cardholder data across payment networks worldwide. The alliance is expected to reinforce safeguards for banks, processors and merchants operating on the Verve platform, ensuring they comply with strict frameworks designed to prevent fraud, cyber threats and data breaches while strengthening confidence in digital payment systems across the continent.
Membership of the NEXO Standards community focuses on improving the technical backbone of payment transactions. NEXO develops universal messaging protocols that enable payment terminals, banks and processors to communicate seamlessly regardless of geography. For Verve, this alignment is expected to accelerate the deployment of new payment acceptance technologies, particularly those supporting cross border commerce and merchant services in markets where interoperability has historically been limited.
Commenting on the dual membership, Verve International Managing Director Vincent Ogbunude said the step reinforces the company’s commitment to delivering secure and future ready payment solutions. Analysts say the move could also strengthen the competitiveness of Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem by raising security benchmarks and helping locally developed payment infrastructure integrate more smoothly with global financial networks.