Bank of Albania says first cyber maturity assessment across banks is complete and DORA alignment is under way

In remarks at a cybersecurity summit, the Bank of Albania said cyber risk has become a supervisory priority and outlined ongoing work across the financial sector. It said the first round of cyber security maturity assessments has been completed for the entire banking system, while work is under way to align Albania's regulatory framework with the European Union's Digital Operational Resilience Act for the financial sector (DORA). The assessment methodology, developed with assistance from the United States Treasury, is based on 93 controls covering organisational arrangements, human resources, and physical and technological security. A repeat horizontal assessment is now in progress and is expected to be completed within the third quarter of this year. The process will continue until the Bank of Albania is satisfied that all banks have reached an appropriate level of cyber maturity. The central bank also pointed to supervisory capacity building, cooperation with the Albanian Association of Banks and the National Cyber Security Authority, and the use of international standards and practices for cyber risk monitoring and assessment. On the regulatory side, the Bank of Albania said it is working intensively to bring its framework into line with DORA, which entered into force in January 2025. It linked that work to Albania's broader objective of full European Union membership by 2030.