The National Bank of Belgium published its 2026 report on financial market infrastructures and payment service providers, identifying cyber threats, evolving fraud, reliance on third-party technology providers and geopolitical and physical security risks as key pressures on operational resilience. The report emphasizes early detection of vulnerabilities, effective internal controls and the continuity of critical services under severe but plausible stress scenarios. Recent sector-wide crisis simulations showed that resilience depends on technology as well as people, governance, crisis communication and tested contingency procedures. The report also calls for greater attention to insider threats, critical sites, data centers and other essential facilities. Payment fraud has risen sharply as payments have become more digital and remote and social engineering has grown more sophisticated, particularly affecting online credit transfers and card payments, requiring stronger prevention and real-time monitoring. Belgian legislation that entered into force this year gives the National Bank of Belgium stronger oversight powers over financial messaging service providers such as Swift. The bank will exercise these powers in cooperation with other Group of 10 central banks.
2026-07-03National Bank of Belgium
National Bank of Belgium flags rising payment fraud and broader operational risks in 2026 oversight report
The National Bank of Belgium’s 2026 oversight report identifies rising payment fraud, cyber threats, third-party technology dependence and physical security risks as key resilience concerns for financial market infrastructures and payment service providers. It calls for stronger controls, real-time fraud monitoring and regular crisis testing. New Belgian legislation also expands the bank’s oversight powers over financial messaging providers such as Swift.