SBOM & CBOM: The Supply Chain of Card Stacks

Making Card Platforms Observable

Every modern card program runs on a constantly shifting web of software. As card programs scale, APIs, SDKs, partner platforms, cryptographic libraries, and infrastructure layers are continuously being added, updated and replaced.

What often does not keep pace is visibility. Risk, compliance, and audit teams are left relying on point-in-time documentation that no may longer reflect what is actually running in production.

At the same time, regulators are asking a harder question: can you prove, right now, what software and cryptography your card stack depends on?

Answering that requires treating transparency as part of the platform itself, not as something assembled just before an audit.

This is precisely the role Software Bills of Materials (SBOM) and Cryptographic Bills of Materials (CBOM) are designed to solve. 

This blog explains what SBOM and CBOM mean in practical terms, why they matter in the context of regulatory and CERT-In expectations, and how Hyperface embeds them into its card stack so issuers get security and compliance by default.

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What SBOM and CBOM Mean (In Plain English) 

When a bank asks, “What is running inside this card programme?”, the real answer is that it’s not a single application but hundreds of components: open-source libraries, partner SDKs, internal services, and third-party integrations, all evolving over time.

A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) makes this explicit. It is a machine-readable inventory that records software components, third-party and open-source libraries, versions, suppliers and licences. 

It provides a precise answer to one question: Which software components make up this platform right now?

A Cryptographic Bill of Materials (CBOM) does the same for security. It records encryption algorithms, key sizes, protocols, certificates and cryptographic libraries. It answers a second, equally important question: How is sensitive data protected across this stack?

Together, SBOM and CBOM give banks continuous, system-level visibility with evidence:

• Which software components are running in this card programme? 
• Which dependencies and cryptographic controls require attention? 
• Can this information be easily verified by risk teams and regulators?
  

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Why Regulators Require This Level of Visibility

CERT-In has formalised this approach through SBOM guidance that defines:

• Mandatory data fields
  
• Accepted formats
  
• Requirements for continuous upkeep
  

Standards such as SPDX and CycloneDX are recognised so that SBOMs are consistent and machine-readable across organisations. The regulator’s technology, cybersecurity, and outsourcing frameworks reinforce the same principle from another direction. Banks are required to maintain:

• Visibility into software supply chains
  
• The ability to identify and remediate risks quickly
  
• Oversight of third-party technology providers
  

The common thread is clear: banks must know what runs inside the technology they operate and outsource, and must be able to demonstrate that knowledge when required.

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Why This Matters for Banks and NBFCs

For card issuers, SBOM and CBOM deliver clear operational benefits:

Ongoing control
Teams maintain an up-to-date view of what software and cryptographic controls are actually deployed instead of relying on periodic documentation.

Audit readiness
RBI inspections, CERT-In reviews, and third-party risk assessments can be supported with structured inventories rather than manually prepared evidence packs.

Stronger vendor oversight
Technology partners can be evaluated on real software composition and security posture, not just certifications and questionnaires.

Crypto-agility
CBOM highlights where weaker or soon-to-be-deprecated algorithms exist, enabling controlled upgrades before they become regulatory issues.

For modern card stacks, this improves confidence at security reviews, risk committees, and board-level discussions.

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How Hyperface Implements this in Production 

At Hyperface, SBOM and CBOM are part of how the platform is built and deployed.

When a new build moves through the CI/CD pipeline, two artefacts are generated alongside the binaries: an SBOM and a CBOM. They are versioned, updated, and refreshed every time the software changes. There is no separate compliance workflow.

Continuous generation
Every code or dependency change automatically produces updated inventories.

Standards-based formats
All artefacts are produced using SPDX and CycloneDX, aligned with CERT-In guidance and global interoperability standards.

Full stack coverage
SBOM and CBOM span the entire Hyperface platform, including:

• Issuer processing systems
  
• Rewards and engagement engines
  
• APIs and SDKs
  
• Partner and third-party integrations
  

Issuer access

Banks receive these inventories whenever required and can use them inside audit, vulnerability management, and third-party risk workflows. The outcome is a continuously current record of what software and cryptographic controls operate across the card stack.

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Extending Visibility Across the Supply Chain

Modern card stacks are ecosystems that include APIs, SDKs, and third-party integrations. Hyperface extends SBOM and CBOM coverage beyond its own services to critical upstream dependencies.

This provides banks with end-to-end visibility into what touches regulated workloads, aligning with RBI outsourcing expectations and CERT-In’s focus on supply-chain risk.

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What This Means for Banks 

As regulatory scrutiny increases and software supply chains grow more complex, observable platforms are replacing black-box systems. And SBOM and CBOM are moving from good practice to expected capability. 

For issuers, partnering with platforms that already operate this way helps reduce audit friction, strengthen governance, and gain real control over third-party risk without building complex tooling internally.

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The Bottom Line

SBOM and CBOM turn “trust us” into “here is what runs, how it is secured, and how you can verify it.”

Hyperface delivers continuously updated, standards-based software and cryptographic inventories across its card stack—ready for regulator reviews, CERT-In assessments, and internal risk governance from day one.

Interested in how leading issuers operationalise SBOM and CBOM within live card environments? Contact Us for a walkthrough and implementation approaches.