The Merchant Risk Council, a nonprofit global organization of e-commerce fraud and payments professionals, recently appointed 16 members to its MRC Asia-Pacific (APAC) Advisory Board to drive its continued expansion in the region.
Working closely with the MRC, the APAC Advisory Board will gain support from Singapore-based MRC Regional Co-Leaders Tom Donlea and Vishal Singhvi, MRC said in a release. The appointments were made after calling for applications from individuals with experience in the professional payments industry.
"We are enormously excited to launch our APAC Advisory Board and welcome all our new board members," MRC CEO Julie Fergerson said in the release. "Each advisor brings to the board a wealth of knowledge in the payments industry and provides a unique perspective and acumen. We very much look forward to their expertise and support as we drive the MRC community in the region."
The board, which was launched July 1, includes members from Singapore, China, Australia and Thailand, the council said. The 16-member board consists of regional representatives of the following companies: Visa, Ethoca/Mastercard, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Air Asia, Lazada/Alibaba Group, Razer, Gojek, Accertify, Payoneer, Adyen, 2C2P, Callsign and Riskified.
The appointments come after a demand for the activities of the MRC in the APAC region, the council said.
"The strong brands that have joined the board and the willingness of the appointees to invest their time and support the MRC's work in APAC are testament to the need for the MRC community, which fosters a collaborative environment for retailers and payment solution providers in the area," the council said.
MRC itself was launched in 2000, at the start of the e-commerce boom, by a small group of industry professionals from leading consumer brands who joined forces to combat online fraud, the council said. Since then, the MRC has added online payments to its areas of interest.
"The MRC's vision is to make commerce safe and profitable everywhere by offering proprietary education, training, and networking opportunities, as well as a welcoming forum for timely and relevant discussions," the council said in the release.
The MRC is headquartered in Seattle, Wash., but embraces membership from countries around the world, the council said.