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September 25 2024

Operational resilience at Iberpay and the relevance of payment systems in the economy: Navigating new challenges in critical environments

8 min

Among the top ten words that define Iberpay's Mission is the concept of "Resilience". Originally a physics term used to describe a material's ability to return to its original state after a disturbance, it has since been extended to describe an organization's capacity to withstand crises and continue delivering services.

At Iberpay, resilience is deeply embedded in our DNA, our purpose and values. For a payment infrastructure aiming to lead in technology and efficiency, ensuring the continuity and security of financial transactions at all times is essential.

As a critical financial infrastructure and operator of essential services under Spanish regulation, resilience is not just a strategy, but a commitment and obligation for the company to ensure the stability of the sector.

The concept of "Resilience" is extensively addressed in the Digital Operational Resilience Regulation (DORA), which defines it as ‘the ability of a financial institution to build, secure, and review its operational integrity and reliability.’ Resilience involves not only resisting and overcoming incidents but also anticipating risks and preparing effective responses through the implementation of preventive, detective, and recovery measures.

Iberpay's values highlight anticipation and resilience: anticipating, managing, resisting, overcoming, recovering, learning, and growing in the face of adversity. This holistic approach to resilience is essential for effective risk management and ensuring business continuity.

Iberpay's strategy includes threat identification, continuous staff training, and investment in advanced technology, among other measures. For us, resilience is not just a legal obligation and a fundamental necessity but also a competitive advantage.

Challenges for effective operational resilience

Operational resilience faces numerous challenges, particularly in a hyper-connected and rapidly evolving world. Some of the key challenges include:

  1. Resource investment: Allocating sufficient financial, technological, and human resources while balancing efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
  2. Corporate culture: Cultivating an internal culture that prioritizes, values, and promotes resilience at all levels of the organization.
  3. Testing and drills: Conducting regular tests and drills to assess and enhance incident response capabilities.
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The threats that can impact a payment system are varied and complex. Whilst early legislation primarily focused on promoting resilience to physical threats such as fires, floods, or acts of terrorism, regulation has since evolved to address digital infrastructure and the associated cyber risks.

Resilience is designed not only to handle a single type of disaster but to address multiple scenarios, including technological failures, IT system outages, cyber-attacks, and delays in the delivery of essential products or services.

For Iberpay, which operates a 24/7 real-time service with high transaction volumes, having a highly resilient system is essential.

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We live in a society that demands constant availability across all channels, pushing companies to manage demand spikes without compromising normal transactions.

Businesses must anticipate market demands and be prepared for any eventuality that could impact business continuity. Iberpay is actively preparing for the large-scale shift from batch payments to instant and 24x7 payments, collaborating with customers and suppliers to ensure system resilience in the face of this imminent transition.

The geopolitical context also plays a significant role in identifying risks and emerging threats. Understanding the environment is crucial for maintaining resilience against events such as direct and indirect cyber-attacks.


Strategy for strengthening operational resilience

Operational resilience must evolve over time. It is not a static concept, but a dynamic one that requires constant updating. For this reason, Iberpay has adopted a strategy based on anticipation, prevention, response and recovery, and continuous improvement:

  • Anticipation: Identify future business and demand trends, such as the growth of instant payments, as well as potential threats, including geopolitical risks.
  • Prevention: Invest in resources, processes, people, and technologies to minimize identified risks and threat scenarios.
  • Response and Recovery Capability: Establish clear and effective procedures for managing incidents and crises, including simulations and training. Leverage new technologies when necessary. The organizational structure must remain resilient, even in the absence of key personnel.
  • Continuous improvement: Learn from both internal and external experiences, and share information within the sector. Iberpay fosters public-private collaboration to enhance incident preparedness and response.

In a world where financial stability is more critical than ever, Iberpay continues to lead the way towards a more secure and reliable—ultimately, resilient—payments infrastructure. Our commitment to resilience not only protects our business but also strengthens the entire financial ecosystem. Every transaction counts, and every challenge is an opportunity to grow stronger.

 

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