Andrew Lingley

When operational resilience fails, the world notices. The past year has shown that business continuity plans are not enough. Ransomware attacks, global outages, power grid failures and data breaches have exposed a pattern of unpreparedness. It is no longer about having a backup plan. It is about proving your organisation can withstand disruption, recover fast and protect what matters most. Resilience is no longer optional. It is the standard.

There is a difference between having a plan and being ready to prove it. Under the FCA’s PS21/3 standard, many firms look compliant on paper but fall short under scrutiny. The planning phase is over. The focus now is on outcomes and evidence. The FCA expects firms to show how they will keep services running during disruption, with proof that is current, complete, and connected. Anything less reveals a credibility gap that regulators are ready to test.

Third-party resilience is now a board-level accountability. Under the FCA’s PS21/3 standard, outsourcing doesn’t remove responsibility. Firms must prove they can withstand supplier disruption and stay within impact tolerances. That means mapping dependencies, testing scenarios, and holding evidence that stands up to scrutiny. When failure hits, the regulator won’t ask who caused it; they’ll ask why you weren’t ready.