The digital resilience and cybersecurity of the financial system: the role of central banks and supervisory authorities

5 December 2025

In today's increasingly digital and interconnected financial landscape, digital resilience and cybersecurity have become critical priorities for maintaining the stability and integrity of the global financial system and for providing essential services to the general public.

This seminar will explore the pivotal role that the competent authorities and central banks play in enhancing the digital resilience and cybersecurity of operators, key financial infrastructures and the financial system as a whole. The competent authorities and central banks are uniquely positioned to lead the efforts to mitigate IT and cyber risks stemming from the digitalization of the financial system, thanks to their regulatory powers, oversight capabilities, responsibility for maintaining financial stability and business continuity, and their dedicated centres of expertise, such as the computer emergency response teams involving financial operators on a voluntary basis (CERTFins) and similar teams that are only internal to firms (CERTs). Drawing on Banca d'Italia's approach in the European, Eurosystem and national frameworks, the webinar will cover the following topics:

  • Risks and opportunities of technological innovation in the financial sector (e.g. quantum cryptography, AI, DLT, crypto-assets and cloud computing).
  • Digital operational risk and the cyber threat landscape (ICT risk, third-party risk and ever-changing cyber threats, including the rise of cyber-attacks on financial institutions and payment systems);
  • Regulation and supervision of digital resilience and cybersecurity in the financial sector: changes in international standards, methodologies and tools;
  • Public-private and cross-sector cooperation for addressing digital operational and cyber risks (e.g. by sharing threat intelligence, developing best practices and conducting joint cyber exercises);
  • Operational and cyber crisis management and response;
  • Use cases relating to the topics of the seminar will be presented.