In India’s rapidly evolving financial sector, banks, fintechs, and institutions are embracing advanced digital platforms to deliver secure and efficient services. Yet, this heavy reliance on technology heightens exposure to cyber threats, systemic risks, and regulatory challenges. To strengthen resilience, the European Union introduced the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), a framework now gaining relevance worldwide.
For Indian companies, pursuing DORA certification in India has become a crucial benchmark in proving the global competitiveness of Indian companies, attracting foreign clients, and demonstrating regulatory readiness. It helps organizations improve digital risk management, fortify resilience, and instill trust in the present data-centric economy. This blog discusses leveraging DORA certification with GRC services so that Indian companies can remain competitive and manage the future well.
Understanding DORA and Its Impact
DORA was developed to unify and standardize digital operational resilience requirements across the European Union. The framework pertains to ensuring that financial institutions can withstand, respond to, and recover from all types of ICT disruptions and threats.
Key components include:
- ICT Risk Management: Organizations must have robust frameworks to identify, manage, and mitigate risks tied to digital operations.
- Incident Reporting: Entities must develop transparent reporting mechanisms for major ICT-related incidents.
- Testing and Resilience Assessments: Regular scenario-based testing validates an organization’s ability to recover from adverse events.
- Third-Party Risk Management: Firms must evaluate and monitor ICT service providers to ensure they meet resilience requirements.
For Indian companies, aligning with DORA is about more than meeting EU standards. It signals commitment to international best practices, which builds confidence among global clients and investors.
Why Indian Companies Should Care About DORA
DORA, despite being an EU regulation, has global ramifications. Most of the Indian companies either provide technology, outsourcing, or financial services to European organizations. Thus, for these companies, DORA certification in India is not an option, but rather mandatory to continue in the competitive European market. The certification has various benefits:
- Market Access: European financial institutions increasingly require that their partners comply with DORA.
- Risk Reduction: Operational resilience mitigates losses due to cyberattacks and or downtime.
- Enhancing Reputation: Certification demonstrates reliability and integrity, and compliance with the global standards.
- Strategic Edge: The earlier adopters in India can look to gain a competitive edge over their peers who are adopting it later.
Regulatory Alignment Beyond the EU
Of course, this is an EU regulation, but strongly extended worldwide. Regulators are keenly watching how DORA builds operational resilience in financial institutions. Such companies will have a competitive edge in Europe while positioning themselves now for the domestic regulation logic of tomorrow that may well track similar DORA requirements. It is about taking a leadership position when organizations are in readiness for compliance, with resilience becoming proactive rather than reactive. Indian organizations are thus enabling their future global standing while remaining ahead of the moment when regulation changes.
Integrating DORA with GRC Practices
Achieving and sustaining compliance with DORA requires structured governance and risk-based processes. This is where GRC services become indispensable. Governance, Risk, and Compliance frameworks ensure that certification is not treated as a standalone milestone but as part of a continuous cycle of improvement.
- Governance ensures that leadership, policies, and accountability mechanisms align with resilience goals.
- Risk Management involves identifying vulnerabilities across systems, processes, and third-party providers, then prioritizing mitigation measures.
- Compliance validates adherence to both DORA requirements and broader international standards.
When DORA certification is embedded within a GRC strategy, companies not only meet regulatory expectations but also build long-term resilience that strengthens decision-making and business continuity.
Building Operational Resilience Under DORA
Operational resilience is at the heart of DORA, and Indian companies must prepare in several ways:
- Developing ICT Risk Frameworks: Identify digital assets, map potential threats, and deploy preventive controls.
- Conducting Advanced Testing: Engage in penetration testing, red teaming, and resilience drills to validate readiness.
- Strengthening Vendor Oversight: Assess cloud providers, IT vendors, and other third-party dependencies for alignment with DORA requirements.
- Implementing Reporting Mechanisms: Establish streamlined systems for monitoring and reporting incidents in line with international best practices.
- Continuous Training: Build awareness across teams to ensure compliance and resilience practices are consistently applied.
These measures ensure that organizations can protect customer trust, maintain regulatory alignment, and recover quickly from operational disruptions.
The Competitive Advantage of DORA in India
Not competing within the Indian territory itself, financial services are now competing against their global counterparts. Therefore, it is expected from the European client, regulator, and investor partners to be DORA compliant. The companies which achieve DORA certification in India will stand out as the leaders in secure, resilient, and compliant functioning.
The recognition from outside still adds to resilience inside. This journey towards DORA compliance not only makes organizations mature but also puts in more advanced cybersecurity upgrades to better governance structures. External recognition and internal resilience make the DORA adoption a driving force for Indian firms.
The Role of Technology toward Readiness for DORA
Technology plays a major role in preparing organizations for DORA compliance-waving tasks in financial services, gradually automating, adding more monitoring tools, and opting for cloud-based solutions to increase their visibility over operational risks. Yet, without proper governance and structured oversight, technology alone cannot offer. Thus, by matching digital solutions with GRC services, organizations can form a comprehensive framework in which every process and decision embodies resilience.
Conclusion
For Indian Companies, obtaining DORA certification is above aligning with regulatory requirements; it is a strategic necessity. Apart from that, it enhances operational resilience and builds consumer trust in the company while increasing the company’s global competitiveness. By grounding DORA in GRC practices, organizations reap long-term advantages as current, credible, and future-ready partners in the evolving financial ecosystem.
If you are looking for an accredited multinational audit and assessment body, INTERCERT specializes in governance, risk, and compliance frameworks across multiple industries. For DORA, INTERCERT conducts impartial audits to verify operational resilience, regulatory alignment, and risk management practices, issuing recognized reports that enhance organizational credibility and trust. With proven expertise, global presence, and deep knowledge of financial sector standards, INTERCERT helps Indian firms achieve reliable certification, strengthen stakeholder confidence, and build sustainable compliance strategies for long-term success.
