Open Finance and account-to-account payments in Latin America are no longer emerging categories. They are becoming part of the infrastructure on which financial services are built. As that infrastructure scales, so does the level of scrutiny around how sensitive payment and financial data are protected.
In that environment, trust cannot rely on promises alone. It has to be supported by systems, controls, and independent validation.
Today, we are announcing an important milestone in that direction: Belvo Mexico has achieved PCI DSS Level 1 validation for Belvo Direct Debit through a Report on Compliance (ROC) issued by an external independent auditor.
This milestone is not the beginning of Belvo’s security journey. Belvo has publicly maintained PCI DSS compliance as a Service Provider since January 2024, and Belvo also adds this milestone to an existing ISO 27001 certification it has held since 2021. Together, these standards reinforce the security foundation behind its payment solutions and broader infrastructure.
What changes now is the level of validation. As Belvo Direct Debit has grown, Belvo has moved beyond the standard self-assessment route and completed a full third-party audited ROC, elevating its payment infrastructure in Mexico to the highest tier of PCI security assurance.
This is more than a compliance update. It reflects how we think about payments infrastructure: innovation only creates value when it is matched by resilience, accountability, and bank-grade security. It also formally validates a mature infrastructure against some of the industry’s most demanding and respected benchmarks.
Market context: security as an enabler, not a source of friction
To understand why this matters, it is important to look at the broader direction of digital financial services in Mexico and Latin America.
As more lenders, insurers, subscription businesses, digital platforms, and software companies rely on APIs and automated payment flows, security is no longer treated as a backend requirement. It increasingly shapes procurement decisions, enterprise reviews, and customer trust.
That is particularly true in recurring payments. In Mexico, direct debit has traditionally been associated with CLABE-based account collections. Belvo’s Direct Debit infrastructure supports that model, but today it also supports recurring payments using card numbers, or PANs, expanding the range of payment credentials businesses can use to automate collections at scale.
On the product side, this matters because companies increasingly need infrastructure that can adapt to different payment experiences without compromising security. Belvo positions Direct Debit as infrastructure for recurring collections, and this milestone reinforces the security standards behind that capability as the product evolves.
This is why security should not be framed as friction. In practice, stronger security infrastructure reduces friction where it matters most: during vendor due diligence, compliance reviews, enterprise procurement, and the internal decision-making processes that determine whether a payment provider can support long-term growth.
The market is no longer asking only, “Can this solution help me collect payments more efficiently?” It is also asking, “Can this infrastructure withstand the level of scrutiny that comes with scale?”
That is the question this milestone helps answer.
What exactly is PCI DSS Level 1 validation?
The PCI DSS standard was created to ensure that organizations handling payment card data operate in a secure environment. It remains one of the most recognized global frameworks for payment security.
Belvo has already publicly stated that it is a PCI DSS compliant Service Provider. What is new in this announcement is the move to PCI DSS Level 1 validation through a Report on Compliance, or ROC, completed by an external independent auditor.
That distinction matters. Under PCI terminology, a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) is the reporting tool used by eligible organizations to self-assess against PCI DSS requirements, while a Report on Compliance (ROC) is the formal reporting tool used to document the detailed results of a PCI DSS assessment carried out by an independent external auditor. PCI SSC also makes clear that ROC, SAQ, and related validation documents are the official approved forms used to document PCI DSS compliance.
In practical terms, that means this milestone reflects a more rigorous level of external validation than self-attestation alone. It is formal confirmation that Belvo’s payments infrastructure has been assessed against the industry’s highest security expectations.
For Belvo Mexico, achieving this level of validation meant demonstrating that the infrastructure behind Direct Debit is supported by strong controls and disciplined operational practices, including:
Highly resilient network architecture
Robust controls designed to isolate and protect sensitive payment data.
Encryption and secure data handling
Strong protections for payment-related information across critical flows.
Strict vulnerability management
A security posture supported by secure development practices, monitoring, and rapid remediation.
Least-privilege access controls
Restricted access to sensitive systems and information based on operational need.
Continuous monitoring and independent testing
Belvo’s broader security program includes regular third-party testing and audits, incident response drills, and 24/7 monitoring as part of its operating model.
“Achieving this milestone is not about adding another badge. It is about ensuring that Belvo Direct Debit continues to scale with the level of rigor, resilience, and trust the market expects from critical payments infrastructure.”
Max Weber, Security Director at Belvo
The tangible impact for our customers in Mexico
If you are a financial institution, a lending fintech, an insurer, a subscription business, or a B2B software company operating in Mexico, the security posture of your payments infrastructure has direct implications for compliance, operational continuity, and customer trust.
This milestone translates into very practical advantages.
1. Lower compliance burden
When you use Belvo Direct Debit, you are relying on infrastructure that has now been independently validated through a PCI DSS Level 1 ROC issued by an external auditor. That creates a stronger foundation for your own internal security and compliance processes.
It does not eliminate your responsibilities, but it does mean your teams are evaluating and building on top of a payments provider that has already undergone a more rigorous validation path.
2. Greater trust in mission-critical payment flows
Recurring collections are sensitive by nature. They sit close to revenue, customer experience, and retention. A stronger security posture behind those flows can make a meaningful difference in how enterprise customers, partners, and internal stakeholders evaluate the reliability of the solution.
At a time when businesses are under pressure to improve both operational efficiency and trust, independently validated infrastructure becomes a meaningful differentiator.
3. Secure scalability
As recurring payment volumes grow, so does scrutiny from procurement, legal, security, and leadership teams. A provider that can demonstrate stronger external validation is better positioned to support customers as they scale into more complex and demanding operating environments.
That is especially relevant for businesses that want to modernize collections in Mexico without introducing unnecessary infrastructure risk, whether through traditional CLABE-based flows or newer PAN-based recurring payment capabilities.
Beyond certification: building a security culture for Open Finance
It is important to understand this milestone in the right way.
PCI DSS Level 1 validation is not a one-time story about passing an audit. It is part of a broader security culture that has to be maintained continuously as products scale and new risks emerge.
Belvo’s public security posture reflects that broader commitment. In addition to this PCI DSS Level 1 milestone, Belvo has held ISO 27001 certification since 2021, reinforcing that security is not approached as a one-off requirement, but as an operational discipline embedded across the company.
That context matters because the future of Open Finance and payments infrastructure will not be defined only by who can launch faster. It will also be defined by who can operate with discipline, absorb scrutiny, and sustain trust over time.
Seen through that lens, PCI DSS Level 1 validation is not just an achievement. It is an operational signal.
The future of finance requires stronger foundations
Belvo’s mission has always been to help businesses build better financial experiences in Latin America through more connected infrastructure. But connectivity on its own is not enough.
As recurring payments become more strategic for businesses in Mexico, the infrastructure behind them must evolve with the same pace and seriousness. Belvo Direct Debit was already built on a PCI DSS-compliant foundation and is now formally validated at Level 1 through an external ROC. This milestone also builds on Belvo’s existing ISO 27001 certification, in place since 2021, strengthening the broader trust framework behind its products and operations.
That is the real significance of this milestone.
Belvo Direct Debit in Mexico is now an independently validated PCI DSS Level 1 solution, giving enterprise customers a higher level of assurance in the infrastructure behind their recurring payment flows, across both traditional CLABE-based direct debit and card-number-based recurring payments.
If you are looking to modernize collections, reduce operational friction, and scale recurring payments on more trusted infrastructure, Belvo Direct Debit is built to help you do it with greater confidence.
Learn more about how Belvo Direct Debit helps businesses automate recurring payments in Mexico.
