To secure credit card transactions and protect related data, the financial industry established operational and technical standards for maintaining the security of payment card transactions. Most notably, the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council (which is backed by the leading credit card institutions) developed a set of standards known as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
Payment card companies usually require organizations to comply with PCI standards under their network agreements. PCI standards cover merchant processing and additional requirements such as encryption of Internet transactions. While PCI DSS is at the center of PCI compliance, the National Automated Clearing House (NACHA) and the Card Association Network have also set industry standards.