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The growing need for IT compliance in an AI-driven world

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has introduced prudential standard CPS 230 to improve how APRA regulated entities manage operational risks. This regulation applies to authorised deposit taking institutions, insurers, and private health insurers, reinforcing the need for a structured approach to operational risk management. APRA expects regulated entities to develop strategies that ensure business continuity and maintain critical operations, even in the face of severe disruptions. To achieve this, financial institutions must assess their entity’s operational risk profile, identify material service providers (MSP), and ensure that material service provider arrangements meet minimum service levels. Strengthening operational resilience is now a fundamental requirement for institutions operating within the broader financial system.

Traditional approaches to continuity planning and third-party risk management are proving inadequate in an increasingly complex and technology-driven environment. APRA expects regulated entities to implement a robust operational resilience framework that aligns with business continuity management principles. This includes conducting scenario analysis to evaluate potential operational risk incidents, addressing material weaknesses in existing service provider arrangements, and ensuring service provider management policies support critical operations. As reliance on third party service providers grows, regulated entities must strengthen service provider oversight to reduce business disruptions and mitigate material financial impact.

To meet CPS 230 operational risk requirements, enterprises must shift towards an integrated, technology-enabled approach. AI-driven compliance monitoring enables financial institutions to track regulatory requirements in real time, while automation supports continuous oversight of MSPs and technology services. A proactive risk management strategy, combining predictive analytics and operational resilience measures, ensures that enterprises can identify critical operations, improve business continuity planning, and maintain compliance with evolving legal or regulatory requirements.

Understanding APRA CPS 230: What enterprises need to know

Key requirements of APRA CPS 230

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority has introduced prudential standard CPS 230 to improve how APRA regulated entities manage risks. This regulation applies to financial institutions, including authorised deposit taking institutions, insurers, and private health insurers, ensuring they strengthen operational risk management and business continuity planning. APRA expects regulated entities to maintain critical operations and develop strategies to mitigate severe disruptions. Financial institutions must implement an operational resilience framework, conduct scenario analysis, and assess their entity's operational risk profile to prevent business disruptions.

CPS 230 establishes strict guidelines for service provider arrangements, requiring financial institutions to identify material service providers and maintain a material service provider register. Service provider management is essential for minimising material weaknesses and ensuring minimum service levels are met. Regulated entities must assess third party risk management practices, including those related to non MSP’s and other downstream service providers. material service provider arrangements should align with legal or regulatory requirements to protect critical services.

To comply with regulatory requirements, significant financial institutions and non significant financial institutions must strengthen operational risk management by leveraging core technology services and investment management solutions. Implementing a comprehensive business continuity management strategy helps financial institutions support critical operations, manage risks, and maintain resilience in the broader financial system.

Challenges in traditional IT compliance

Legacy compliance models depend on outdated manual processes, leading to inefficiencies in service provider management and third-party service providers oversight. Many financial institutions struggle with fragmented risk management frameworks that do not integrate business continuity planning, making it difficult to manage risks effectively. Without real-time monitoring, regulated entities struggle to identify operational risk incidents, leading to potential business disruptions and compromised critical operations. The growing reliance on MSP’s and other downstream providers adds complexity to compliance efforts, as financial institutions must ensure that service provider arrangements align with legal or regulatory requirements. Failing to maintain a material service provider register or assess material weaknesses in service provider management policy can expose organisations to severe disruptions and material financial impact.

To strengthen operational risk management, financial institutions must adopt AI-driven automation to streamline risk mitigation strategies and maintain minimum service levels. Predictive analytics can help institutions manage risks by identifying critical business functions and tolerance levels before disruptions occur. Compliance obligations under prudential standard CPS 230 require financial institutions to support critical operations through business continuity management and an operational resilience framework. By leveraging core technology services, financial institutions can modernise service provider management, enhance risk management, and ensure regulatory requirements are met within the broader financial system.

The role of AI and Automation in IT compliance

AI-powered compliance monitoring

AI solutions enable financial institutions to track regulatory requirements in real-time, ensuring that compliance obligations are met efficiently. Automated monitoring enhances operational risk management by detecting incidents early, preventing them from escalating into significant issues. Financial institutions must manage operational risks across business operations while ensuring business continuity management strategies align with prudential standard CPS 230. APRA expects regulated entities to maintain critical operations by integrating AI-powered monitoring tools that track risk management processes continuously. Implementing AI-driven solutions helps financial institutions enhance their operational resilience framework, support critical operations, and comply with legal or regulatory requirements in an evolving financial system.


Automating third-party risk assessments

Service provider arrangements, particularly those involving critical services and core technology services, require ongoing oversight to mitigate business disruptions. Financial institutions must strengthen risk management by identifying MSP’s and maintaining a material service provider register. Automation simplifies service provider management by evaluating minimum service levels, monitoring arrangements, and identifying potential financial impacts. APRA regulated entities must evaluate downstream service providers and non MSP’s to ensure compliance with prudential standard CPS 230. Automated third-party risk management enhances operational resilience by reducing reliance on manual processes and strengthening service provider management policies.


Predictive analytics for risk management

Digital risk mitigation strategies enable regulated entities to identify operations before they are affected by business disruptions. Predictive analytics play a vital role in operational risk management by assessing an entity’s operational risk profile and identifying material weaknesses. Financial institutions use predictive models to anticipate changes in tolerance levels, ensuring business continuity planning aligns with the operational resilience framework. Prudential standard CPS 230 requires financial institutions to conduct scenario analysis to prepare for severe disruptions and maintain critical business functions. By leveraging predictive analytics, financial institutions can manage operational risks proactively, reducing financial system vulnerabilities and supporting long-term compliance strategies.


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Modernising IT compliance: A roadmap for enterprises

Building a resilient IT compliance strategy

Enterprises should align their compliance efforts with operational resilience to strengthen their overall risk management framework. Embedding compliance within business continuity management ensures that business disruptions do not impact critical operations. Prudential standard CPS 230 mandates that financial institutions integrate business continuity planning with material service provider arrangements to mitigate operational risks. Identifying MSP’s and maintaining a material service provider register enhances service provider management policies. Leveraging AI and predictive analytics enables financial institutions to develop strategies that proactively manage risks, strengthen service provider arrangements, and ensure compliance with legal or regulatory requirements across business operations.


Strengthening cybersecurity to support compliance

Implementing a zero-trust security model and multi-factor authentication is crucial for safeguarding critical operations and defending financial institutions against cyber threats. Prudential standard CPS 230 requires financial institutions to strengthen operational risk management by implementing cybersecurity frameworks that align with business continuity planning. Regulated entities must maintain critical operations by developing strategies that prevent severe disruptions. Cyber resilience enhances service provider arrangements by ensuring that material service providers meet minimum service levels. Adhering to the financial accountability regime and implementing real-time threat monitoring can help financial institutions mitigate operational risk incidents and support compliance within the broader financial system.


Cloud transformation & compliance

Regulated entities increasingly rely on cloud-based solutions to enhance investment management and operational resilience. Financial institutions must conduct cloud security assessments to ensure compliance with prudential standard CPS 230 and maintain critical operations. Migrating to the cloud presents challenges in managing service providers. Financial institutions need to identify material service providers and evaluate the operational risks associated with these arrangements. Implementing strict tolerance levels and service provider management policies helps mitigate business disruptions. Integrating risk management into cloud transformation strategies ensures that financial institutions meet regulatory requirements while supporting critical services and business continuity within the financial system.


Future trends: The evolution of IT compliance beyond CPS 230

AI governance and compliance

As financial institutions increase reliance on AI for risk management and compliance monitoring, regulatory frameworks will evolve to address emerging risks. Prudential standard CPS 230 emphasises operational resilience, and future regulations will likely introduce stricter guidelines for AI-driven compliance tools. AI governance is essential for ensuring the ethical use of AI and mitigating potential operational risks. Financial institutions must integrate ai governance into business continuity management, ensuring that automation supports critical business functions without introducing material weaknesses. As AI capabilities advance, regulated entities must align their risk management frameworks with new regulatory requirements to maintain compliance.


Preparing for continuous compliance

Traditional compliance models relying on periodic audits involving senior management are becoming obsolete. Financial institutions must transition to continuous compliance tracking to manage operational risks effectively. Prudential standard CPS 230 requires financial institutions to strengthen operational risk management by integrating compliance into business operations. Automated compliance solutions can monitor regulatory requirements in real time, reducing business disruptions and ensuring operational resilience. Financial institutions must assess their entity’s CPS 230 operational risk management profile, conduct scenario analysis, and strengthen continuity planning to meet evolving compliance obligations. Continuous compliance tracking will be essential in safeguarding the broader financial system from unforeseen regulatory risks.


Next steps: Ensuring long-term compliance with APRA CPS 230

To sustain compliance and operational resilience, financial institutions must enhance service provider management and strengthen oversight of material service providers. Prudential standard CPS 230 mandates that financial institutions maintain critical operations by improving business continuity management and refining service provider arrangements. AI-driven automation ensures compliance while reducing material weaknesses in risk management frameworks. Enterprises should proactively develop strategies to support critical operations and mitigate severe disruptions.


Future-proof your it compliance strategy

As regulatory requirements evolve, financial institutions must strengthen 230 operational risk management to ensure long-term compliance and resilience. Prudential standard CPS 230 mandates that organisations implement proactive strategies to mitigate operational risks, enhance service provider management, and maintain business continuity. Relying on outdated compliance methods increases the risk of business disruptions and regulatory penalties. By leveraging AI-driven automation and predictive analytics, enterprises can monitor compliance in real time, streamline service provider arrangements, and reinforce operational resilience.

By integrating operational risk management into their business operations, financial institutions can manage risks more effectively and support critical functions. Automated compliance tracking reduces material weaknesses, improves continuity planning, and enhances oversight of material service providers. Enterprises that embrace modern compliance strategies can reduce their exposure to regulatory risks and strengthen their position within the broader financial system.

Frequently asked questions

What is CPS 230 Australia?

CPS 230 is a prudential standard introduced by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) to strengthen operational risk management, business continuity planning, and third-party risk management for APRA-regulated entities. It applies to financial institutions, including authorised deposit-taking institutions, insurers, and private health insurers, ensuring they maintain critical operations and mitigate operational risks in a rapidly evolving digital environment.

What are CPS 230 standards?

CPS 230 establishes key requirements for operational resilience, service provider management, and business continuity management. It mandates that financial institutions:

  • Implement strong operational risk management frameworks.

  • Identify and manage MSP’s.

  • Maintain a material service provider register.

  • Ensure service provider arrangements meet minimum service levels.

  • Conduct scenario analysis to assess potential business disruptions and risks.

What is CPS 230 replacing?

CPS 230 replaces CPS 231 (Outsourcing) and CPS 232 (Business Continuity Management). The new framework expands the focus on third-party risk management, ensuring that financial institutions have a structured approach to material service provider arrangements and operational resilience across their business operations.

What is the difference between CPS 230 and DORA?

CPS 230 and DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) both focus on operational risk management but apply to different regions. CPS 230 is an APRA regulation focused on Australian financial institutions, while DORA is a European Union regulation targeting cyber resilience and ICT risk management. DORA has a stronger emphasis on cybersecurity frameworks, whereas CPS 230 focuses on business continuity, service provider management, and operational resilience frameworks.

How to prepare for CPS 230?

To comply with CPS 230, organisations should:

  • Conduct a risk assessment to evaluate their operational risk profile.

  • Identify MSP’s and maintain a material service provider register.

  • Strengthen business continuity planning and test scenario analysis.

  • Enhance third-party risk management by improving service provider arrangements.

  • Implement AI-driven compliance monitoring to support critical operations.

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