Business continuity support for organisations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaRegional guidance for financial services, government, critical infrastructure, energy, utilities and other sectors.

SAMA BCM Framework and ISO 22301.

The Saudi Central Bank Business Continuity Management Framework sets requirements for its member organisations and the financial-sector entities within its stated scope, including banks, finance-sector organisations, payment systems and payment services providers, and credit bureaus. It should not be presented as a universal BCM regulation for every Saudi business. ISO 22301 provides a broader international management-system framework that organisations in other sectors may use to structure and improve business continuity.

Saudi Arabia business continuity readiness checklist.

Use these prompts as an initial discussion checklist. They are not a regulatory compliance assessment or certification audit.

1. Have you identified the regulatory and contractual requirements that apply to your organisation and sector?
2. Has leadership approved the BCMS policy, scope, governance and programme responsibilities?
3. Have critical services and activities been prioritised through a business impact analysis?
4. Have risks, technology dependencies, facilities, people and third-party providers been assessed?
5. Are recovery time and data recovery objectives, service priorities and minimum operating levels agreed?
6. Are business continuity, crisis management and IT disaster recovery plans documented and integrated?
7. Are critical suppliers and service providers assessed for continuity capability and recovery commitments?
8. Are staff trained and are plans tested through realistic exercises at planned intervals?
9. Are test findings, audit issues and improvement actions assigned, tracked and reported to management?
10. Are arrangements reviewed after significant changes to services, systems, suppliers, locations or risks?