PCI DSS Industry Risk Index 2026

Hospitality scores 6.8/10 on our composite risk index, driven by the lowest maturity score (47/100), lowest automation rate (35%), and the longest average remediation time (10.4 days). The sector's fragmented payment estate — multiple POS systems, high staff turnover, and seasonal scope variation — compounds underlying programme weaknesses.

The risk index combines four weighted dimensions: maturity gap from industry ceiling (40%), automation lag versus peer average (25%), remediation velocity relative to benchmark (20%), and cost burden as a proportion of revenue band (15%). Scores range 1–10 with ≥6.5 considered high risk, 5–6.4 amber, and <5 green.

Financial services score 6.1 due to audit hour volume (1,380h/yr — the highest of any sector) and $280k average compliance cost driven by complex cardholder data environments and stringent third-party vendor risk obligations. High maturity (63/100) partially offsets the risk but cannot compensate for the absolute resource burden.

Prioritise automation adoption — it carries the highest weighting in the risk formula (25% coefficient for automation lag). Close the top control gap identified for your sector. Implement continuous monitoring to reduce remediation time, which contributes 20% to the composite score. Organisations improving automation by 10pp typically reduce their risk score by 0.4–0.6 points within 12 months.