Sri Lanka · Compliance
PCI DSS compliance in Sri Lanka
Achieve PCI DSS compliance in Sri Lanka with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Compliance, end to end
- Mumbai office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for PCI DSS in Sri Lanka
Clients include
PCI DSS compliance in Sri Lanka at a glance
In Sri Lanka, PCI DSS is asked for by buyers and schemes rather than required by law. The drivers below show where the pressure comes from.
A Sri Lankan payment processor and a BPM firm handling refunds for an overseas retailer both meet PCI DSS, though not from the same source. The Payment and Settlement Systems Act, No. 28 of 2005 and the Payment Cards and Mobile Payment Systems Regulations No. 1 of 2013 make the Central Bank the regulator of payment card and mobile payment service providers, but they do not name PCI DSS. The standard is published by the PCI Security Standards Council, and validation is by a Qualified Security Assessor or self-assessment as the payment brands and acquirers require. No certificate comes from a Sri Lankan accreditation body or from Sterling. Sterling's Mumbai office helps organisations scope the cardholder data environment, close control gaps and prepare for assessment, with Effivity software and Sterling Academy training included with the engagement.
Who needs PCI DSS in Sri Lanka, and what happens without it
These are the organisations in Sri Lanka that most often need to show PCI DSS.
- Card issuers, acquirers and payment processorsThe Central Bank regulates and supervises payment card service providers, which are licensed on conditions set in the licence.
- Licensed mobile payment and e-money operatorsThey operate under the Payment Cards and Mobile Payment Systems Regulations No. 1 of 2013 and the Central Bank's circulars.
- BanksBanking Act Directions No. 16 of 2021 set technology risk and ISO 27001 requirements that sit beside the card brands' own rules.
- Business process management firms handling card data for overseas clientsOverseas retailers and brands ask providers that take payments or process refunds to evidence PCI DSS compliance.
- Online merchants and platformsAcquirers and card brands set validation requirements for merchants that accept cards.
Not sure which of these applies to you?Answer a short set of questions and your readiness report arrives by e-mail.
Take the PCI DSS readiness checkPCI DSS requirements in Sri Lanka
Strip away the vocabulary and PCI DSS asks any business that stores, processes or transmits card data to comply in six areas.
In Sri Lanka these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: PCI DSS explained →
How to achieve PCI DSS compliance in Sri Lanka
One team from the Mumbai office carries the work from scoping to sign-off. Clients across Sri Lanka are served from Sterling's Mumbai office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against PCI DSS and the Sri Lankan requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
- Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
- Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before any external review.
- Reviews by regulators, customers and auditorsSterling supports the reviews your regulators, customers and auditors run.
- End to end, from one team
- Effivity ISO & GRC software
- Preferential Sterling Academy access, with complimentary awareness training for your people
- Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard
- Vulnerability assessment on ISMS engagements
The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.
How long does PCI DSS compliance take in Sri Lanka?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Sri Lanka these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Scoping of the cardholder data environment and network segmentation
- Number of payment channels, systems and service providers in scope
- Maturity of logging, vulnerability management and access controls
- Assessor scheduling and the acquirer's or brand's validation deadlines
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does PCI DSS compliance cost in Sri Lanka?
The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and any external assessor’s fees, which are quoted separately. In Sri Lanka these factors move both.
- Size of the cardholder data environment and number of sites
- Segmentation, tokenisation and encryption work
- Assessor fees quoted separately from consulting
- Scanning, penetration testing and monitoring tools
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
PCI DSS consultants and assessors in Sri Lanka
Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; your regulators, customers and auditors then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.
- Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers PCI DSS and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
- Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Sri Lanka are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
- Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
- Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.
Laws and regulations that drive PCI DSS in Sri Lanka (3)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Payment and Settlement Systems Act, No. 28 of 2005 and the Payment Cards and Mobile Payment Systems Regulations No. 1 of 2013 | Does not name PCI DSS The Central Bank regulates and supervises payment card and mobile payment service providers and licenses them on conditions set in the licence. |
| PCI Security Standards Council | Scheme rule Publishes PCI security standards and lists qualified professionals; validation evidence is set by the payment brands and acquirers. |
| Banking Act Directions No. 16 of 2021 | Does not name PCI DSS Requires technology risk controls and ISO/IEC 27001 for banks, whose card operations remain subject to the card brands' rules. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Sri Lanka
PCI DSS compliance is validated by a Qualified Security Assessor or by a self-assessment, as the payment brands and your acquirer require; no certificate comes from a Sri Lankan accreditation body. The PCI Security Standards Council publishes the standard and a list of qualified professionals. Ask your acquirer or card brand which level and evidence apply to you. Edition and transition details: PCI DSS hub →
Audit language
Business records, standards and tenders are mostly in English, and the Constitution names English as the link language alongside Sinhala and Tamil; interviews with operators and workers may run in Sinhala or Tamil. Agree the audit language, any interpreter and the language of controlled documents with the assessor at application.
Remote and on-site
Assessments combine remote evidence review with on-site visits to data centres, offices and payment environments in scope, as the assessor decides.
PCI DSS in Sri Lanka: questions clients ask
Does the Central Bank of Sri Lanka require PCI DSS?
The Payment Cards and Mobile Payment Systems Regulations No. 1 of 2013 do not name PCI DSS. They make the Central Bank the regulator and supervisor of service providers, who are licensed on conditions set in the licence. Card brands and acquirers set PCI validation separately, so check your licence conditions and acquirer agreement.
Who validates PCI DSS compliance?
A Qualified Security Assessor or a self-assessment, depending on the payment brands' and your acquirer's requirements. No Sri Lankan accreditation body issues a PCI certificate, and Sterling does not validate compliance. The PCI Security Standards Council lists qualified professionals; ask your acquirer which route and level apply to your volumes.
Do business process management firms need PCI DSS?
When they take card payments, process refunds or otherwise handle card data for overseas clients, those clients commonly require evidence of PCI DSS compliance in the contract. No Sri Lankan law is the source of that requirement. Ask the client which scope and validation it needs before you design the environment.
Does ISO 27001 satisfy PCI DSS?
No. ISO 27001 is a management system standard, while PCI DSS is a payment card standard with its own control requirements and validation. Banks must meet ISO 27001 under the Central Bank's Directions and card rules separately. An ISO 27001 system helps with PCI controls but does not replace PCI validation.
More on PCI DSS for Sri Lankan organisations
- PCI DSS: the complete guide
- Watch: How to implement PCI DSS
- Banking and financial services: PCI DSS for the sector
- BPO and contact centres: PCI DSS for the sector
- E-commerce and retail: PCI DSS for the sector
- Fintech and payment facilitators: PCI DSS for the sector
- Healthcare providers and insurers: PCI DSS for the sector
- Hospitality and travel: PCI DSS for the sector
- Software and hosting: PCI DSS for the sector
- PCI DSS compliance in Sri Lanka and every other standard Sterling delivers there
Other standards Sri Lankan businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Sri Lanka often combine PCI DSS with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Mumbai office
A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
Sources
- Payment and Settlement Systems Act, No. 28 of 2005 and the Payment Cards and Mobile Payment Systems Regulations No. 1 of 2013 — cbsl.gov.lk (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- PCI Security Standards Council — pcisecuritystandards.org (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Banking Act Directions No. 16 of 2021 — cbsl.gov.lk (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
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