Which companies are considered founding payment brands of PCI SSC?

The founding payment brands of the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) are American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, and Visa. These companies were instrumental in establishing the PCI SSC to enhance payment card security and protect cardholder data across the industry. Each of these payment brands plays a significant role in the credit card ecosystem, and their collaboration within the PCI SSC reflects their commitment to securing payment card transactions globally.

Understanding the context of the other options helps clarify why they do not represent the founding brands accurately. For instance, PayPal is a prominent online payment platform but not a founding member of PCI SSC. Similarly, while Visa, JCB, and Discover do contribute to the Council, missing American Express and MasterCard from the list does not accurately reflect the founding members. Therefore, the correct response acknowledges the full set of founding brands that collectively initiated PCI standards and guidelines to foster security within the payment card industry.