Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)
The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is an EU regulation that establishes uniform requirements for managing digital risk, cybersecurity, and operational resilience in the financial sector.
What is the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)?
The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is a European Union regulation (Regulation (EU) 2022/2554) that aims to strengthen the financial sector’s ability to withstand, respond to, and recover from ICT-related disruptions. It applies to banks, insurance companies, investment firms, and ICT service providers that support critical financial operations.
DORA introduces consistent rules for risk management, incident reporting, digital testing, and third-party oversight. By harmonizing cybersecurity and resilience obligations across the EU, DORA ensures that financial institutions can continue operations even during severe technology-related incidents.
Why the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) matters
DORA is central to the EU’s strategy to safeguard financial stability and consumer trust in an increasingly digital economy. It ensures that financial entities maintain robust systems, governance structures, and response procedures for managing cyber risks.
The regulation complements frameworks like the GDPR by extending resilience requirements beyond data protection to include ICT continuity and third-party dependency management.
Failure to comply with DORA can result in significant fines, reputational damage, and increased regulatory scrutiny. Compliance demonstrates accountability, operational maturity, and a proactive approach to digital risk.
How the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is used in practice
- Implementing ICT risk management frameworks and governance processes
- Establishing incident detection, response, and recovery procedures
- Conducting regular digital operational resilience testing and reporting
- Managing and monitoring third-party ICT service providers
- Aligning cybersecurity policies with DORA and related EU regulations
- Integrating resilience monitoring into enterprise risk management programs
Related laws & standards
- EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)
- EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- NIS2 Directive
- ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security Management)
How OneTrust helps with the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)
OneTrust enables financial institutions to operationalize DORA compliance by centralizing ICT risk management, vendor oversight, and incident response workflows. The platform helps organizations align resilience programs with EU regulatory expectations and demonstrate continuous compliance.
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FAQs about the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)
DORA applies to financial institutions operating in the EU, including banks, insurers, investment firms, and third-party ICT service providers that support critical operations.
While both aim to improve cybersecurity resilience, DORA focuses specifically on the financial sector and ICT service providers, whereas NIS2 applies more broadly across critical infrastructure sectors.
Although DORA and the GDPR address different areas, DORA complements GDPR by strengthening data availability, integrity, and resilience within digital and operational systems.
