A Clear Path to DORA Compliance

The European banking sector is strengthening its regulatory framework with the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), Regulation (EU) 2022/2554, which entered into force on 16 January 2023 and has applied since 17 January 2025. It requires financial entities to manage ICT risk, report ICT-related incidents, test their digital operational resilience regularly and manage the risk linked to ICT third-party providers.

In this context, a leading European bank set out to implement DORA requirements proactively, safeguard itself against ICT disruptions and cyber threats, and establish robust governance for operational resilience.

The bank needed to:

• Fortify its operational and ICT infrastructure to meet DORA standards.
• Strengthen its defenses against ICT disruptions and cyber threats.
• Craft and execute a compliance strategy with its security team, engaging with regulatory authorities.
• Track compliance progress with KPIs and ensure effective coordination across all departments.

Sia supported the bank's security team in crafting and executing a compliance strategy for DORA:

• Gap analysis: an assessment of the gaps between current practices and DORA requirements.
• Regulatory engagement: engagement with regulatory authorities to ensure alignment.
• Remediation: the development and implementation of remediation plans.
• Governance and KPIs: strong governance mechanisms, with KPIs to track compliance progress.
• Cross-functional coordination: coordination across all departments.

The program gave the bank a structured path to DORA compliance: a gap analysis, remediation plans, governance mechanisms and KPIs to track progress, and coordinated implementation across its departments, supporting stakeholder confidence in its operational resilience.

By combining regulatory expertise, cybersecurity knowledge and disciplined program management, Sia helps banks turn new regulation into operational resilience.