EBA Publishes Guidelines on ICT and Security Risk Management
EBA published the final guidelines on the mitigation and management of information and communication technology (ICT) and security risks for banks in EU. The guidelines set out expectations on the way in which all financial institutions should manage their internal and external ICT and security risks. The guidelines provide financial institutions with a better understanding of supervisory expectations for the management of these risks, covering sound internal governance, information security requirements, ICT operations, project and change management, and business continuity management. The guidelines, which apply to credit institutions, investment firms, and payment service providers, enter into force on June 30, 2020.
These guidelines respond to the EC's FinTech Action plan request for EBA to develop guidelines on ICT risk management and mitigation requirements in the financial sector in EU. The guidelines:
- Focus on the management and mitigation of ICT and security risks by establishing sound internal governance and an internal control framework that sets clear responsibilities for the staff of financial institutions, including for the management bodies
- Require financial institutions to maintain up-to-date inventories of their business functions, supporting processes and information assets and to classify them in terms of criticality, based on the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data
- Remind financial institutions to ensure the effectiveness of the risk-mitigating measures, as defined by their risk management framework, when outsourcing or using third-party providers
- Specify high-level principles on how ICT operations should be managed, including requirements to improve, when possible, the efficiency of ICT operations; implement logging and monitoring procedures for critical ICT operations; maintain an up-to-date inventory of their ICT assets; monitor and manage the life cycle of ICT assets; and implement backup plans and recovery procedures
- Specify expectations on business continuity management and developing response and recovery plans, including testing, and their consequent updating based on the test results
- Cover the management of relationship of payment service providers with payment service users to ensure that users are made aware of the security risks linked to the payment services and are provided with the tools to disable specific payment functionalities and monitor payment transactions
In implementing these guidelines, financial institutions should refer to the existing standards and leading best practices. These guidelines intend to be technology and methodology agnostic. The implementation of these guidelines should be done in accordance with the principle of proportionality, taking into account the scale and complexity of operations, the nature of the activity engaged in, the types of services provided, and the corresponding ICT and security risks related to the processes and services of financial institutions. These guidelines complement, and should be read in conjunction with, the supervisory assessment to the applicable institutions in EBA guidelines on ICT risk assessment under the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (EBA/GL/2017/05) and other relevant guidelines such as EBA guidelines on outsourcing arrangements (EBA/GL/2019/02).
Related Links
Effective Date: June 30, 2020
Keywords: Europe, EU, Banking, CRD, PSD 2, ICT Risk, Cyber Risk, Proportionality, Operational Risk, Outsourcing Arrangements, Third-Party Arrangements, Fintech, EBA
Featured Experts
María Cañamero
Skilled market researcher; growth strategist; successful go-to-market campaign developer
Nicolas Degruson
Works with financial institutions, regulatory experts, business analysts, product managers, and software engineers to drive regulatory solutions across the globe.
Patrycja Oleksza
Applies proficiency and knowledge to regulatory capital and reporting analysis and coordinates business and product strategies in the banking technology area
Previous Article
Swiss Federal Council Amends Capital Adequacy OrdinanceRelated Articles
BIS and Central Banks Experiment with GenAI to Assess Climate Risks
A recent report from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub details Project Gaia, a collaboration between the BIS Innovation Hub Eurosystem Center and certain central banks in Europe
Nearly 25% G-SIBs Commit to Adopting TNFD Nature-Related Disclosures
Nature-related risks are increasing in severity and frequency, affecting businesses, capital providers, financial systems, and economies.
Singapore to Mandate Climate Disclosures from FY2025
Singapore recently took a significant step toward turning climate ambition into action, with the introduction of mandatory climate-related disclosures for listed and large non-listed companies
SEC Finalizes Climate-Related Disclosures Rule
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has finalized the long-awaited rule that mandates climate-related disclosures for domestic and foreign publicly listed companies in the U.S.
EBA Proposes Standards Related to Standardized Credit Risk Approach
The European Banking Authority (EBA) has been taking significant steps toward implementing the Basel III framework and strengthening the regulatory framework for credit institutions in the EU
US Regulators Release Stress Test Scenarios for Banks
The U.S. regulators recently released baseline and severely adverse scenarios, along with other details, for stress testing the banks in 2024. The relevant U.S. banking regulators are the Federal Reserve Bank (FED), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
Asian Governments Aim for Interoperability in AI Governance Frameworks
The regulatory landscape for artificial intelligence (AI), including the generative kind, is evolving rapidly, with governments and regulators aiming to address the challenges and opportunities presented by this transformative technology.
EBA Proposes Operational Risk Standards Under Final Basel III Package
The European Union (EU) has been working on the final elements of Basel III standards, with endorsement of the Banking Package and the publication of the European Banking Authority (EBA) roadmap on Basel III implementation in December 2023.
EFRAG Proposes XBRL Taxonomy and Standard for Listed SMEs Under ESRS
The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG), which plays a crucial role in shaping corporate reporting standards in European Union (EU), is seeking comments, until May 21, 2024, on the Exposure Draft ESRS for listed SMEs.
ECB to Expand Climate Change Work in 2024-2025
Banking regulators worldwide are increasingly focusing on addressing, monitoring, and supervising the institutions' exposure to climate and environmental risks.