DORA Regulations Are Now Requried… Are You Compliant?

As of January 17, the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is officially in force across the EU. Financial institutions and their ICT service providers are now required to meet strict resilience, security, and incident reporting standards. The hope is that most firms have been preparing for this moment, but if DORA has caught you off guard, now is the time to act.

A recent article from The Stack highlights how DORA is part of a broader wave of financial tech regulations emerging from Brussels, adding yet another compliance burden on financial firms. If your organization isn’t fully aligned with the new rules yet, time is up.

What DORA Requires

DORA mandates that financial firms:

• Implement ICT risk management frameworks that ensure operational resilience
• Establish real-time monitoring for security threats and disruptions
• Report major incidents within strict timeframes to regulators
• Assess and manage third-party risks, especially cloud and IT providers
• Conduct regular testing and audits to ensure ongoing compliance

Non-compliance isn’t an option. Firms that fail to meet DORA’s requirements risk fines, reputational damage, and increased regulatory scrutiny, all of which can impact customer trust and financial stability.

The Reality Check - What does DORA mean for the future of reliability regulations?

DORA is part of a “blizzard” of financial regulations tightening oversight on digital resilience. Many firms may have assumed compliance was a future concern, but with the law now in effect, regulators expect action, not excuses.

DORA isn’t just another regulation; it’s a fundamental shift in how financial institutions must approach resilience. The pressure is now on IT leaders, compliance teams, and risk officers to ensure they meet these new standards. 

So, how did we get here? What prompted DORA to come to be, and how will it shape the future of IT regulations in the EU and around the globe?

DORA is a direct response to the increasing cyber threats and IT disruptions that have impacted the financial sector in recent years. Its origins trace back to:

• 2016–2019: Early Discussions on ICT Risk Management – Before DORA, ICT risk management was covered under various fragmented EU laws, such as the NIS Directive and EBA outsourcing guidelines. However, financial regulators saw gaps in consistency—especially regarding third-party risk management and cyber resilience.
• 2020: The European Commission Proposes DORA – Recognizing the need for a unified regulation, the European Commission proposed DORA as part of the Digital Finance Package to strengthen ICT resilience across all financial entities.
• 2022: DORA is Adopted by the EU Parliament – After extensive discussions, DORA was formally approved on November 28, 2022, with a two-year implementation period for financial firms to prepare.
• 2025: Full Implementation Begins – As of January 17, 2025, DORA is now fully enforceable, requiring strict compliance from financial institutions and ICT providers.

This long-term regulatory evolution shows that DORA isn’t just another compliance checkbox, it represents a fundamental shift in how financial institutions must manage digital risks. In line with Circia (US 2022), we can expect global regulations of cyber security to increase across industries going forward. DORA marks the beginning of a global shift toward cyber resilience, risk management, and regulatory oversight. Organizations that proactively adopt strong security, monitoring, and compliance frameworks today will be best positioned to navigate future regulations worldwide.

Need Help? Watch Our DORA Compliance Webinar

If you’re still unsure how to get your organization fully compliant, we’ve got you covered. Our free webinar walks you through DORA’s key requirements, best practices for operational resilience, and how SLOs can help you stay compliant.

Watch the webinar now → Navigating DORA Compliance

DORA is here. Don’t wait until regulators come knocking.