The specialized payments consulting firm introduces two PCI programs designed to help fintech companies strengthen compliance oversight, streamline assessments, and maintain year-round operational readiness.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL / ACCESS Newswire / November 4, 2026 / Payments Therapist, a specialized consulting firm serving the payments and financial technology industries, announces the expansion of its PCI practice by introducing two dedicated service offerings and adding former FIS Vice President and PCI Security Standards Council Board Advisor Wes Shattler.

The expansion introduces PCI Governance as a Service and Handling Your First PCI Assessment, two complementary programs designed to help fintech companies, payment facilitators (PayFacs), independent software vendors (ISVs), and registered independent sales organizations (ISOs) navigate PCI compliance requirements through experienced leadership and hands-on operational support.

Shattler joins Payments Therapist as Senior Partner, PCI Services. His appointment brings decades of enterprise-level cybersecurity, risk management, and compliance experience to the firm’s expanding PCI practice.

The announcement represents a strategic expansion of Payments Therapist’s consulting model, which combines specialized industry expertise with practical solutions to complex payments challenges.

Addressing a Persistent Challenge in Payment Compliance

For many growing payments companies, PCI compliance presents challenges that extend well beyond the annual assessment process.

Maintaining an effective program requires coordination across security, technology, operations, compliance, and executive leadership. As organizations introduce new products, integrate additional technology, expand vendor relationships, and scale their operations, maintaining visibility into compliance responsibilities becomes increasingly complex.

When program ownership is fragmented, organizations may have to rebuild documentation, identify control owners, and address unresolved requirements shortly before an assessment.

These challenges can disrupt operations, divert resources from core business activities, and introduce avoidable compliance risk.

Payments Therapist’s expanded practice helps organizations establish clearer accountability and maintain a coordinated approach to PCI responsibilities year-round.

Introducing PCI Governance as a Service

At the center of the expansion is PCI Governance as a Service, an ongoing engagement model that provides experienced leadership and coordination for organizations managing complex PCI requirements.

The program helps clients maintain oversight of policies, evidence, control ownership, remediation activities, scope changes, and assessment preparation.

Rather than treating compliance as a periodic project, the service supports an operating framework that integrates PCI responsibilities into everyday business processes.

For growing fintech companies, PayFacs, ISVs, and registered ISOs, this approach provides access to specialized program leadership without requiring organizations to build an equivalent internal function.

“Compliance becomes much more manageable when organizations have clear ownership and a consistent process for maintaining their programs,” says Jason Kafer, founder of Payments Therapist. “Our goal is to help clients move beyond the annual scramble and establish a framework that supports their operations throughout the year.”

Supporting First-Time PCI Assessments

The second offering, Handling Your First PCI Assessment, provides specialized support for organizations preparing to navigate formal PCI validation for the first time.

The program helps clients understand their obligations, assess readiness, identify potential gaps, organize documentation, coordinate internal stakeholders, and manage communications with Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs).

For companies entering the formal assessment process, unfamiliar requirements and fragmented responsibilities can create significant administrative and operational challenges.

Payments Therapist provides experienced guidance to help organizations establish a coordinated approach and navigate the assessment process more clearly.

The two programs complement one another, providing advisory and governance support during initial assessment preparation and ongoing governance as organizations grow and their compliance responsibilities evolve.

Expanding Industry Expertise With Wes Shattler

Adding Wes Shattler strengthens Payments Therapist’s ability to deliver these services through experienced, senior-level leadership.

A former Vice President at FIS, Shattler brings more than 25 years of cybersecurity, risk management, and compliance leadership to Payments Therapist. Having supported more than 500 PCI assessments and compliance initiatives, he has extensive experience helping organizations navigate complex security requirements and establish sustainable governance programs.

Shattler also served three consecutive terms on the PCI Security Standards Council Board of Advisors and participated in its Technology Roadmap Guidance Group, bringing both industry standards experience and practical enterprise-level expertise to the firm’s expanding PCI practice.

In his role as Senior Partner, PCI Services, he will help clients establish effective governance programs, prepare for assessments, coordinate stakeholders, and maintain compliance-related operational processes.

“One of the biggest challenges facing growing payments companies is keeping their compliance programs aligned with the pace of their business,” said Shattler. “As organizations introduce new technologies, expand their services and establish new partnerships, their PCI responsibilities become increasingly complex. Our goal is to help clients build sustainable governance programs that simplify compliance management, strengthen accountability, and allow them to focus on growing their businesses.”

His appointment reflects Payments Therapist’s emphasis on bringing experienced industry practitioners directly into client engagements.

Building on a Specialized Consulting Model

Founded by Jason Kafer, Payments Therapist helps organizations diagnose and resolve complex challenges across payment strategy, infrastructure, technology, security, compliance, risk, operations, and revenue.

The firm works with fintech companies, payment facilitators, independent software vendors, processors, financial institutions, and other businesses operating within the payments ecosystem.

Its consulting model emphasizes direct involvement from experienced practitioners and practical solutions to challenges that frequently span multiple business functions.

The expanded PCI practice builds on this foundation, adding dedicated compliance and governance capabilities to the firm’s existing areas of expertise.

Through its new programs and the addition of Shattler, Payments Therapist is expanding its ability to help growing payments businesses establish stronger operational foundations while navigating increasingly complex industry requirements.

For more information about Payments Therapist and its expanded PCI services, visit https://www.paymentstherapist.com/.

About Payments Therapist

Payments Therapist is a specialized payments consulting firm that helps fintech companies, financial institutions, payment facilitators, independent software vendors, processors, and complex merchants diagnose and solve challenging payments problems. The firm provides senior-led expertise across payment strategy, infrastructure, security, compliance, risk, operations, technology, and revenue, helping organizations navigate complex situations through practical, hands-on solutions.

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Ty Fahlman
Say Less Media
ty@saylessmedia.com

SOURCE: Payments Therapist

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