SCA vs 3-D Secure
SCA and 3-D Secure are easy to mix up. Here are both definitions from the HighRisk Media glossary side by side.
Comparison table
| Term | SCA | 3-D Secure |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Strong Customer Authentication | — |
| In short | SCA (Strong Customer Authentication) is a PSD2 requirement in the European Economic Area and the UK: a payment must be confirmed with at least two independent factors from three categories: knowledge, possession, and inherence. | 3-D Secure is a cardholder authentication protocol for online card payments in which the issuing bank confirms that the payment is being made by the card owner. |
| Verticals | Fintech | Fintech, Gambling, Betting, Nutra |
What is SCA?
SCA was introduced by the PSD2 directive for payment services in the European Economic Area and the UK. It requires that initiating an electronic payment or access to a payment account be confirmed with at least two factors from three categories: knowledge (password, PIN, code), possession (phone, card, token, bank app), and inherence (fingerprint, facial recognition). The factors must be independent, meaning that compromising one must not expose another.
What is 3-D Secure?
3-D Secure (3DS) is an EMVCo standard that adds a payer identity verification step to online payments. The issuer (the cardholder's bank) decides whether to let the payment through without friction (frictionless), request confirmation (challenge: a one-time code, a push notification in the banking app, or biometrics), or decline it.