19JANUARY 2026Recovery Framework for Cyber ThreatIn a sector as exposed to cyber and operational threats as banking, ensuring disaster recovery frameworks meet compliance standards starts with embedding regulatory alignment into every layer of planning. At Bank of Valletta, we adhere to regulations such as NIS2 and DORA, while also integrating operational resilience principles that go beyond minimum requirements. Our documentation is structured, version-controlled, and reviewed at least once annually, with clear ownership assigned across IT, business units, and governance teams, through policies and procedures. We maintain auditable logs, segmented recovery environments, and restoration integrity checks to ensure that our procedures are not only compliant but also defensible under scrutiny.However, compliance alone doesn't guarantee protection. To deliver real-world resilience, we simulate realistic scenarios--ransomware attacks, data centre outages, and third-party failures--so our teams are trained to respond under pressure. We prioritise clarity and coordination, ensuring that every stakeholder knows their role and can act decisively. Our disaster recovery plans are housed in a central platform linked to our CMDB, making them accessible and actionable during incidents. By combining regulatory rigour with operational practicality, we ensure that our recovery frameworks protect both the Bank's reputation and its ability to serve customers without interruption.Building Awareness and ReadinessI build awareness and readiness by embedding incident response into everyday operations--ensuring that both IT and front-line staff understand their roles through clear documentation, regular training, and scenario-based simulations. We maintain a structured lifecycle that includes planning, detection, response, and post-incident learning, supported by accessible runbooks and cross-functional coordination. This approach fosters a culture of vigilance and accountability, so when disruptions occur, every team knows how to act swiftly and effectively. When it comes to Incident and Problem management, we also hold company-wide training guides and assessments, to try to not only assist end-users, but also to help them realise the importance of correct reporting and prioritisation. An Advice to Financial Industry LeadersTo move beyond "check-the-box" disaster recovery, financial industry leaders must treat resilience as a strategic enabler, not just a compliance requirement. All too often, I encounter other professionals within the same sector who focus a lot on the regulatory requirements, and not sufficiently on integrating incident and Disaster Recovery into their daily operations. My advice is to embed recovery planning into business decision-making--aligning it with customer expectations, regulatory obligations, and operational realities. Invest in scenario-based testing, cross-functional training, and clear ownership structures so that recovery becomes intuitive, not reactive. True resilience is built when every team understands its role and the organisation can adapt swiftly without waiting for a crisis to validate its plans.. True resilience is built when every team understands its role and the organisation can adapt swiftly without waiting for a crisis to validate its plans.
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