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Stay informed on PCI DSS compliance, card tokenization, European payment regulations, and security best practices. Expert articles from the PCI Proxy EU team.

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Latest Articles

Expert Analysis & Practical Guides

Deep dives into tokenization technology, compliance frameworks, and the evolving European payment landscape, written by practitioners, for practitioners.

Digital Payments in Italy in 2025: PCI DSS, GDPR and PSD2 Together
Regulations & GDPR

Digital Payments in Italy in 2025: PCI DSS, GDPR and PSD2 Together

Digital payments in Italy in 2025: overview of PCI DSS, GDPR and PSD2, who must comply with what, urgent deadlines an...

6 min read May 22, 2025
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Buy Now Pay Later and PCI DSS: Who Handles Card Data in BNPL?
PCI DSS

Buy Now Pay Later and PCI DSS: Who Handles Card Data in BNPL?

Buy Now Pay Later and PCI DSS: who handles card data in BNPL, how the chain of responsibility works, and how tokeniza...

6 min read May 20, 2025
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PCI DSS as a Service: How It Works and What It Actually Covers
Practical Guides

PCI DSS as a Service: How It Works and What It Actually Covers

PCI DSS as a Service: what is fully delegated, what legally remains with the merchant, and a cost comparison of DIY v...

6 min read May 18, 2025
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Payment Security in Europe: Why EU Data Residency Is Fundamental
Regulations & GDPR

Payment Security in Europe: Why EU Data Residency Is Fundamental

Payment security in Europe and EU data residency: GDPR constraints, Schrems II implications and why keeping card data...

6 min read May 15, 2025
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Subscription Business and PCI DSS: Obligations and Solutions for Recurring Billing
Tokenization

Subscription Business and PCI DSS: Obligations and Solutions for Recurring Billing

Subscription business and PCI DSS: how card-on-file tokenization manages recurring billing securely and compliantly w...

6 min read May 12, 2025
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PCI DSS Compliance in Italy: Practical Guide for Merchants and Businesses
Practical Guides

PCI DSS Compliance in Italy: Practical Guide for Merchants and Businesses

Guide to PCI DSS compliance in Italy: regulations, real audit costs, PCI DSS v4 deadlines and why EU data residency m...

6 min read May 10, 2025
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Multi-PSP Tokenization: How to Switch Gateway Without Losing Card Data
Tokenization

Multi-PSP Tokenization: How to Switch Gateway Without Losing Card Data

Multi-PSP tokenization: how to switch payment gateway or acquirer without losing card-on-file data. A practical guide...

6 min read May 8, 2025
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Secure Card Storage in the Cloud: How a PCI Card Vault Works
Tokenization

Secure Card Storage in the Cloud: How a PCI Card Vault Works

How a PCI card vault works in the cloud: technical architecture, required certifications (PCI DSS Level 1, HSM, FIPS...

6 min read May 5, 2025
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How to Reduce PCI DSS Scope: A Practical Strategy in 3 Moves
Practical Guides

How to Reduce PCI DSS Scope: A Practical Strategy in 3 Moves

How to reduce PCI DSS scope with a practical 3-step strategy: map your CDE, tokenize card data flows, eliminate unnec...

6 min read May 3, 2025
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Open Banking and PCI DSS: Do You Need to Be Compliant with Account-Based Payments Too?
Regulations & GDPR

Open Banking and PCI DSS: Do You Need to Be Compliant with Account-Based Payments Too?

Open banking and PCI DSS: when the two frameworks apply, how they overlap in A2A payments and what to do with a hybri...

6 min read May 1, 2025
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How PSPs Can Offload PCI Compliance to Their Merchants
Practical Guides

How PSPs Can Offload PCI Compliance to Their Merchants

PSPs can reduce their merchants' PCI burden while growing revenue. Learn how PCI Proxy enables compliance-as-a-servic...

6 min read April 25, 2025
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PCI DSS for Banks and Acquirers: The Chain of Responsibility for Card Data
PCI DSS

PCI DSS for Banks and Acquirers: The Chain of Responsibility for Card Data

Acquirer PCI compliance: the PCI chain of responsibility between networks, acquiring banks and merchants. Who monitor...

6 min read April 22, 2025
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PCI DSS Merchant Onboarding: What the Acquirer Asks Before Activating You
Practical Guides

PCI DSS Merchant Onboarding: What the Acquirer Asks Before Activating You

PCI DSS merchant onboarding: what the acquirer checks, which documents are required, and how tokenization speeds up t...

6 min read April 20, 2025
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Payment Data Breaches: What Happens Under GDPR and PCI DSS
Regulations & GDPR

Payment Data Breaches: What Happens Under GDPR and PCI DSS

What happens after a payment data breach: GDPR data breach notification within 72 hours, PCI DSS data breach fines, f...

6 min read April 18, 2025
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PCI DSS in the Insurance and Healthcare Sector: The Obligations Nobody Explains
Practical Guides

PCI DSS in the Insurance and Healthcare Sector: The Obligations Nobody Explains

PCI DSS insurance payments and healthcare: hidden obligations for insurers and healthcare providers, risks in clinica...

6 min read April 15, 2025
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Strong Customer Authentication, PSD2 and PCI DSS: How They Connect
Regulations & GDPR

Strong Customer Authentication, PSD2 and PCI DSS: How They Connect

Strong Customer Authentication under PSD2 and its relationship with PCI DSS: obligations, overlaps and how tokenizati...

6 min read April 12, 2025
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PCI DSS in Travel: Travel Agencies, OTAs and Online Bookings
Practical Guides

PCI DSS in Travel: Travel Agencies, OTAs and Online Bookings

PCI DSS in travel and tourism: obligations for travel agencies, OTAs and online booking platforms managing card data.

6 min read April 10, 2025
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PCI Sandbox: How to Test Tokenization Without Real Cards
Developer

PCI Sandbox: How to Test Tokenization Without Real Cards

PCI sandbox environment: how to test tokenization without real card data, API flows in sandbox mode and integration b...

6 min read April 8, 2025
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Tokenization SDK: Integrate PCI Proxy EU in Node.js, Python and PHP
Developer

Tokenization SDK: Integrate PCI Proxy EU in Node.js, Python and PHP

Tokenization SDK: how to integrate PCI Proxy EU tokenization in Node.js, Python and PHP with practical examples and P...

6 min read April 5, 2025
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PCI Compliant API: How to Integrate Tokenization Without Handling PANs
Developer

PCI Compliant API: How to Integrate Tokenization Without Handling PANs

What a PCI compliant API means, how to integrate with PCI Proxy EU and why the developer never touches a cleartext PA...

6 min read April 3, 2025
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PCI DSS for Fintech and Startups: Fast Compliance Without Blocking Go-Live
Developer

PCI DSS for Fintech and Startups: Fast Compliance Without Blocking Go-Live

PCI DSS for fintech and startups: how to achieve compliance in days with tokenization as a service and go live withou...

6 min read April 1, 2025
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Subscription Billing and PCI DSS: How to Securely Manage Recurring Payments
Tokenization

Subscription Billing and PCI DSS: How to Securely Manage Recurring Payments

Subscription billing PCI DSS: why anyone managing subscriptions is in PCI scope, card-on-file tokenization and the me...

6 min read March 25, 2025
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Marketplace and PCI DSS: Who Is Responsible for Vendor Card Data?
PCI DSS

Marketplace and PCI DSS: Who Is Responsible for Vendor Card Data?

Marketplace PCI compliance: shared responsibility between platform owner and vendors, who is responsible for card dat...

6 min read March 22, 2025
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PCI DSS for Hotels and Hospitality: The Hidden Risks at the Front Desk
Practical Guides

PCI DSS for Hotels and Hospitality: The Hidden Risks at the Front Desk

PCI DSS hotel and hospitality: hidden risks at reception, telephone MOTO bookings, no-show guarantees and how PCI Pro...

6 min read March 20, 2025
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PCI DSS for Retail: Obligations for Physical Stores and How to Reduce Them
Practical Guides

PCI DSS for Retail: Obligations for Physical Stores and How to Reduce Them

PCI DSS for retail and physical stores: which requirements apply, the risks of POS terminals and how to reduce compli...

6 min read March 18, 2025
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Switching PSP Without Losing Card Data: How Portability Works
Practical Guides

Switching PSP Without Losing Card Data: How Portability Works

Payment data portability: how to migrate tokens when switching PSP or acquirer, without re-asking customers for card...

6 min read March 15, 2025
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Cardholder Data Protection: PCI DSS Obligations and How to Comply
PCI DSS

Cardholder Data Protection: PCI DSS Obligations and How to Comply

Cardholder data protection: which data falls within PCI DSS scope, storage obligations and how tokenization eliminate...

6 min read March 12, 2025
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HSM in Payments: What Is a Hardware Security Module and How It Protects Card Data
Tokenization

HSM in Payments: What Is a Hardware Security Module and How It Protects Card Data

What is an HSM in payments, how FIPS 140-2 certification works, and why a token vault with a dedicated HSM is fundame...

6 min read March 10, 2025
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Network Tokenization vs Payment Tokenization: The Differences That Matter
Tokenization

Network Tokenization vs Payment Tokenization: The Differences That Matter

Network tokenization vs payment tokenization: technical differences between Visa Token Service, Mastercard Digital En...

6 min read March 8, 2025
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What Is a PCI DSS QSA and When Do You Really Need One
PCI DSS

What Is a PCI DSS QSA and When Do You Really Need One

What is a PCI DSS QSA, when is one mandatory, how much does it cost, and how to reduce scope to make the QSA optional...

6 min read March 5, 2025
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PCI DSS Network Segmentation: Why It Is Expensive and How to Reduce It
PCI DSS

PCI DSS Network Segmentation: Why It Is Expensive and How to Reduce It

PCI DSS network segmentation: why it costs so much, what the alternatives are and how to radically reduce your CDE wi...

6 min read March 3, 2025
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PCI DSS Penetration Testing: When It Is Mandatory and How Much It Costs
PCI DSS

PCI DSS Penetration Testing: When It Is Mandatory and How Much It Costs

PCI DSS penetration testing: when it is mandatory, how much it costs and how to reduce scope to lower the annual pen...

6 min read February 28, 2025
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PCI DSS Self Assessment: Which SAQ to Complete and How to Simplify It
Practical Guides

PCI DSS Self Assessment: Which SAQ to Complete and How to Simplify It

PCI DSS self assessment: how to choose the right SAQ, what each type requires and how tokenization reduces your compl...

6 min read February 25, 2025
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Outsourcing PCI DSS Compliance: How It Works and What Remains Your Responsibility
Practical Guides

Outsourcing PCI DSS Compliance: How It Works and What Remains Your Responsibility

PCI DSS outsourcing is possible but not total: what you can delegate to a certified provider and what always remains...

6 min read February 22, 2025
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How Much Does a PCI DSS Violation Cost? Penalties and Real Consequences
PCI DSS

How Much Does a PCI DSS Violation Cost? Penalties and Real Consequences

PCI DSS violation penalties: fines from card networks, acquirer penalties, reputational damage and real costs of a da...

6 min read February 20, 2025
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PCI DSS and GDPR: They Are Not the Same Thing and You Can Violate Both
Regulations & GDPR

PCI DSS and GDPR: They Are Not the Same Thing and You Can Violate Both

PCI DSS and GDPR have different objectives but overlap on card data. In the event of a breach you can receive penalti...

6 min read February 18, 2025
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PCI DSS for E-Commerce: Obligations and Solutions for Online Sellers
Practical Guides

PCI DSS for E-Commerce: Obligations and Solutions for Online Sellers

E-commerce PCI compliance: what accepting cards online entails, which SAQ applies and how PCI Proxy EU eliminates PCI...

6 min read February 15, 2025
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PCI DSS for Small European Businesses: You Are Obligated and Probably Do Not Know It
Practical Guides

PCI DSS for Small European Businesses: You Are Obligated and Probably Do Not Know It

PCI DSS for small businesses in Europe: a practical guide to understanding your real obligations and how to simplify...

6 min read February 12, 2025
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PCI DSS v4: What Really Changes for Merchants in 2025
PCI DSS

PCI DSS v4: What Really Changes for Merchants in 2025

PCI DSS v4 in 2025: what really changes for merchants, which requirements are now mandatory and how to update your co...

6 min read February 10, 2025
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PCI DSS v4: All New Requirements and What Changes for European Merchants
PCI DSS

PCI DSS v4: All New Requirements and What Changes for European Merchants

PCI DSS v4 requirements: all new controls, key changes from v3.2.1 and what European merchants and payment providers...

6 min read February 8, 2025
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GDPR and PCI DSS: Differences, Overlaps and Cumulative Obligations
Regulations & GDPR

GDPR and PCI DSS: Differences, Overlaps and Cumulative Obligations

GDPR and PCI DSS are not alternatives: both apply to card data. Discover where they overlap and how to manage cumulat...

6 min read February 5, 2025
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PCI DSS for Small Businesses: Obligations, Costs and How to Simplify
Practical Guides

PCI DSS for Small Businesses: Obligations, Costs and How to Simplify

PCI DSS for small businesses: what the real obligations are, how much compliance costs and how to simplify with token...

6 min read February 2, 2025
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PCI DSS Network Segmentation: How to Isolate the CDE and Reduce Scope
PCI DSS

PCI DSS Network Segmentation: How to Isolate the CDE and Reduce Scope

PCI DSS network segmentation: how to correctly isolate the cardholder data environment and reduce the scope of compli...

6 min read January 30, 2025
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PCI DSS Penetration Testing: Obligations, Costs and How to Reduce the Perimeter
PCI DSS

PCI DSS Penetration Testing: Obligations, Costs and How to Reduce the Perimeter

PCI DSS penetration testing: obligations under v4, types of test required, costs and how reducing CDE scope lowers th...

6 min read January 28, 2025
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PCI DSS Merchant Levels: Differences Between Level 1, 2, 3 and 4
PCI DSS

PCI DSS Merchant Levels: Differences Between Level 1, 2, 3 and 4

PCI DSS merchant levels explained: differences between Level 1, 2, 3 and 4 and what compliance obligations each requi...

6 min read January 25, 2025
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Call Center PCI Compliance: Complete Guide for MOTO and Telephone Payments
Call Center & MOTO

Call Center PCI Compliance: Complete Guide for MOTO and Telephone Payments

Call center PCI compliance: how to handle MOTO payments without the agent hearing the PAN. DTMF and IVR solutions to...

6 min read January 22, 2025
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How Payment Tokenization Works: Complete Guide
Tokenization

How Payment Tokenization Works: Complete Guide

How PAN tokenization works in payments: from PAN to token, differences from encryption, token lifecycle, and benefits...

6 min read January 20, 2025
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MOTO Payments and PCI Compliance: What Call Centers Need to Know
Call Center & MOTO

MOTO Payments and PCI Compliance: What Call Centers Need to Know

Guide for call centers: reduce your cardholder data environment with DTMF tokenization and meet PCI DSS requirements...

6 min read January 20, 2025
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Cardholder Data Environment: What Is the CDE and How to Reduce It with Tokenization
PCI DSS

Cardholder Data Environment: What Is the CDE and How to Reduce It with Tokenization

Cardholder Data Environment (CDE) PCI DSS: what falls within the perimeter, maintenance costs, and how tokenization r...

6 min read January 18, 2025
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Card on File Tokenization: How to Protect Card Data in Recurring Payments
Tokenization

Card on File Tokenization: How to Protect Card Data in Recurring Payments

Card on file tokenization for recurring payments and subscriptions: how it works, PCI DSS obligations, and how PCI Pr...

6 min read January 15, 2025
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How to Reduce PCI DSS Scope with Tokenization
PCI DSS

How to Reduce PCI DSS Scope with Tokenization

Tokenization and scope reduction: less burden on your cardholder data environment and PCI DSS requirements, with a si...

6 min read January 15, 2025
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PCI DSS SAQ A: What It Is, Who Must Complete It and How to Qualify
PCI DSS

PCI DSS SAQ A: What It Is, Who Must Complete It and How to Qualify

PCI DSS SAQ A: what it is, who must complete it, eligibility requirements and how to qualify as a merchant.

6 min read January 12, 2025
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PCI DSS Compliance Checklist: Everything You Need to Do in 2025
Practical Guides

PCI DSS Compliance Checklist: Everything You Need to Do in 2025

PCI DSS compliance checklist 2025: 8 concrete points for merchants and SMEs. How to reduce 90% of compliance tasks wi...

6 min read January 10, 2025
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Network Tokenization vs PCI Proxy Tokens: What is the Difference?
Tokenization

Network Tokenization vs PCI Proxy Tokens: What is the Difference?

Network tokens vs PCI Proxy tokens: PAN tokenization, payment gateway tokenization, and use cases in Europe.

6 min read January 10, 2025
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What is a PCI Proxy and Do You Need One? Practical Guide
Practical Guides

What is a PCI Proxy and Do You Need One? Practical Guide

What is a PCI proxy, how it reduces your cardholder data environment and PCI DSS requirements. Concrete benefits for...

6 min read January 8, 2025
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PCI DSS v4.0 Changes and What They Mean for European Merchants
PCI DSS

PCI DSS v4.0 Changes and What They Mean for European Merchants

PCI DSS v4.0 introduces 64 new requirements. Discover the key changes impacting European merchants and how to prepare...

6 min read January 5, 2025
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