Why DORA Is the Necessary Wake-Up Call for Fintechs

Digital resilience for fintechs has jumped to a new level since January 2025. The EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) isn’t just another regulatory checkbox. It is a fundamental shift in how fintechs must approach cybersecurity and operational resilience. Yet months after the deadline passed, the CyberFlow cybersecurity specialists are still helping clients struggling to wake up to this reality.

The DORA Compliance Gap Is Real

Recent research reveals a sobering truth: 96% of EMEA financial services organisations admit they still need to improve their resilience to meet DORA compliance requirements. For fintechs operating in an already competitive and fast-paced environment, this gap represents both a risk and an opportunity.

The DORA regulation was designed with a clear purpose: to strengthen the digital operational resilience of financial entities across Europe. It emphasises three critical pillars:

• Incident reporting and management
• Third-party risk management
• Comprehensive resilience testing

If your fintech hasn’t fully addressed these areas, you’re not alone. But you are also vulnerable.

Why Fintechs Are Struggling with DORA Compliance

The Pressure Cooker Effect

The DORA compliance framework has placed unprecedented pressure on already-stretched IT and security teams. In fact, 41% of organisations cite increased team stress as a significant challenge when meeting DORA requirements.

For lean fintech operations, this pressure is amplified. You’re balancing innovation with security, growth with stability, and now compliance with resource constraints.

Testing: The Technical Stumbling Block

The numbers are alarming:

• 24% of financial organisations haven’t established data recovery and continuity testing
• 23% have yet to carry out digital operational resilience testing

Here’s the wake-up call: there’s no point implementing resilience measures if you only discover they don’t work during an actual cyber incident. Testing isn’t optional under DORA regulation—it’s the foundation of operational resilience.

The Third-Party Blind Spot

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of DORA compliance? Third-party oversight. Over 34% of organisations call it their biggest implementation hurdle, with 20% still struggling to meet requirements.

The average enterprise works with 88 third-party partners. For fintechs leveraging cloud services, payment processors, data analytics platforms, and various SaaS solutions, that number can be even higher. Each connection represents a potential vulnerability.

The Right Approach to DORA Compliance

Stop Treating DORA as a Standalone Project

The biggest mistake fintechs make is approaching DORA compliance as an isolated initiative. This creates competing priorities, burnout, and ultimately, incomplete implementation.

Instead, integrate the DORA compliance framework into a holistic data resilience strategy using Data Resilience Maturity Models (DRMM). This approach:

• Reduces immediate pressure on security teams
• Improves overall data resilience
• Creates sustainable compliance processes
• Builds long-term organisational confidence

Ask the Hard Questions Now

Fintech compliance shouldn’t be about checking boxes. It should be about building genuine resilience. That means:

• Auditing your entire third-party ecosystem and demanding Shared Responsibility Models from all vendors
• Conducting rigorous resilience testing even if the results are uncomfortable
• Re-negotiating Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to ensure clear security responsibilities
• Implementing continuous monitoring rather than point-in-time assessments

Yes, this requires coordinated effort across security, risk, management, and legal teams. But the alternative – operating with unknown vulnerabilities – is far more costly.

DORA Is Your Competitive Advantage

Here’s the opportunity most fintechs are missing: DORA compliance isn’t just about avoiding penalties. It’s about building trust in a sector where trust is currency.

When you can demonstrate robust operational resilience, you:

• Win more enterprise clients who demand strong security postures
• Reduce the likelihood and impact of costly cyber incidents
• Build investor confidence in your long-term viability
• Differentiate yourself in a crowded fintech market

The fintechs that embrace the DORA regulation as a catalyst for genuine improvement will emerge stronger, more resilient, and better positioned for growth.

Don’t Hit Snooze on DORA Compliance – Work with CyberFlow!

The wake-up call has sounded. Financial services can no longer afford to treat digital operational resilience as an afterthought. The path to full DORA compliance may be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming with CyberFlow by your side.

We help fintechs navigate the DORA compliance framework with confidence. Our experts will assess your current resilience posture, identify gaps, and implement practical solutions that go beyond compliance to genuine operational resilience.

Don’t wait for a cyber incident to test your defences. Contact us today for a comprehensive DORA compliance assessment and discover how we can transform regulatory requirements into business strengths!