CBK LAUNCHES CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS CENTRE TO BOLSTER BANKING SECTOR RESILIENCE

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has unveiled the Banking Sector Cybersecurity Operations Centre (BS-SOC), an initiative aimed at curbing rising cybercrime cases in the financial industry. In a statement released on Monday, September 22, 2025, CBK highlighted that the BS-SOC is a critical element in enforcing the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime (Critical Information Infrastructure and Cybercrime Management) Regulations, 2024, and forms part of its 2024–2027 Strategic Plan.

Currently housed within CBK’s Cyber Fusion Unit, the BS-SOC is equipped to deliver key services including Cyber Threat Intelligence, Incident Response, Digital Forensics, and Cyber Investigations. The regulator also confirmed that it has begun reviewing and harmonising the Commercial Banks Cybersecurity Guidelines (2017) and the Payment Service Providers Cybersecurity Guidelines (2019) to resolve existing compliance challenges.

In the interim, all regulated institutions are required to adhere to both guidelines and must report cybersecurity incidents to the BS-SOC within the timelines outlined in the CMCA Regulations. The initial Cybersecurity Guidance for commercial banks, issued in August 2017, set out baseline requirements for institutions to develop and implement effective cyber risk management frameworks.

Findings from CBK’s latest Cybersecurity Survey revealed that banks need to scale up their cybersecurity investments to address emerging threats, particularly those driven by artificial intelligence. The survey was designed to gauge awareness, readiness, and resilience to cyber risks across the financial sector.

According to CBK, the establishment of the BS-SOC will significantly strengthen the sector’s capacity to withstand evolving cybersecurity threats.