In today's highly interconnected financial world, operational resilience is no longer a choice for banking leaders—it’s a strategic imperative. Banking institutions are at the core of global economic stability, and the ripple effects of operational disruptions can be severe. From cybersecurity threats to regulatory compliance, you must now adapt to an ever-evolving risk landscape while ensuring that you continue to deliver uninterrupted services to your customers. 

In 2025, operational resilience will be one of the most critical areas of focus for banks. Regulatory bodies in the US, UK, EU and many others are driving new frameworks that require financial institutions to demonstrate their ability to withstand disruptions. 

The EU’s DORA legislation, for example, requires all banks operating in the EU to build robust digital operational resilience capabilities, covering everything from cyber risk management to third-party vendor oversight. The UK’s Operational Resilience Regulation places a broader focus on a bank’s ability to maintain critical services during disruptions—whether from system failures, cyberattacks or external shocks.  

The importance of operational resilience in banking 

Banks are unique in their exposure to a wide range of risks. As they adopt digital transformation strategies and expand their service offerings, the surface area for potential disruptions grows. The move toward automation, AI-driven analytics and cloud-based solutions means banking services are more dependent on technology than ever before. This shift, while offering improved efficiencies and customer experience, also introduces new vulnerabilities. 

Operational resilience ensures that banks can maintain their core functions even in the face of these growing threats. It enables institutions to safeguard critical operations, such as payment processing, lending and customer services, even during disruptions. More importantly, resilience is about adapting and recovering quickly without long-term damage to the bank's reputation or financial health. 

Key pillars of operational resilience 

To build and maintain operational resilience in banking, leaders must focus on several key pillars: 

• Risk Management and Governance: A bank’s ability to understand its risk exposure and put governance mechanisms in place is central to operational resilience. This requires identifying potential threats, monitoring risk trends and ensuring that resilience planning is embedded into all levels of the organization. Regular reviews and simulations of disaster recovery plans, cyber resilience frameworks, and incident response protocols are vital. 
• Technology and Infrastructure: A resilient bank is one that invests in robust IT infrastructure. This includes adopting cloud technologies for scalability, ensuring redundancy in systems and having real-time data backup and recovery solutions. With financial services increasingly delivered through digital platforms, maintaining the availability and integrity of IT systems is non-negotiable. 
• Regulatory Compliance: Banks operate in one of the most heavily regulated industries. From GDPR to anti-money laundering (AML) rules, there are countless regulatory requirements that directly impact resilience planning. Compliance isn’t just about meeting today’s standards—it’s about anticipating future regulatory trends and ensuring that the bank’s systems are flexible enough to adapt. Therefore, it is key that operational resilience is not a one-off initiative to meet a regulatory deadline but a permanent management process. 
• Customer Trust: Ultimately, resilience is about maintaining the trust of your customers. The public expects banks to operate without interruption, regardless of external circumstances. A proactive approach to resilience, combined with clear communication during disruptions, can help protect this trust. In addition, a fast recovery and coming back to business as usual is important for customer retention. 

Real-world examples of operational resilience in action 

Managing operational resilience through a process-based approach provides a holistic view of the operating model, encompassing IT, processes, people, data, risk, third parties and their interdependencies. The ARIS Suite seamlessly integrates business process analyses, process mining and risk and compliance management, providing a unified solution for all stakeholders with a central solution, eliminating silos siloes and ensuring long-term success. 

Banks around the world are already making strides in improving their operational resilience by adopting innovative strategies and technologies. 

A leading Austrian financial institution implemented the ARIS Suite to optimize their processes and enhance risk management. With ARIS, they were able to map their entire process landscape, gain real-time insights into potential operational risks and ensure business continuity. This approach has enabled the group to build a more resilient operational framework that can adapt quickly to changing conditions, ensuring uninterrupted services even in times of crisis. 

Similarly, a major Swiss insurance company, improved its operational resilience by leveraging the ARIS Suite. Through digital transformation and process optimization, they were able to streamline its processes and increase operational efficiency. By gaining better visibility into its processes, they enhanced its risk management strategies and strengthened its resilience against disruptions, ensuring that its critical services remain uninterrupted under challenging circumstances. 

Key takeaways: How banks can thrive in a new governance, risk and compliance (GRC) management era 

The future of banking depends on the ability to adapt to a fast-changing risk landscape. To stay competitive and compliant in 2024 and beyond, financial institutions must: 

1. Build Operational Resilience: Map critical services, monitor processes in real-time and establish strong third-party risk management practices. 

2. Implement Robust AI Governance: Validate AI models, manage risks and ensure compliance with regulatory frameworks. 

3. Develop Risk Agility: Use scenario modeling and digital twins to anticipate and mitigate future risks. 

4. Foster Accountability: Assign ownership of GRC functions to senior leaders and engage the board in risk oversight. 

5. Adopt Integrated GRC Platforms: Streamline GRC efforts by consolidating systems and improving visibility into risks and controls. 

By embracing these strategies, you can transform GRC from a compliance burden into a competitive advantage—building trust with regulators and customers while navigating the uncertainties of the future.