The Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) have published an assessment methodology for the oversight of so-called critical service providers.
The Principles for financial market infrastructures notes that technology providers may be essential to the operational reliability of financial market infrastructure (FMI) firms. It stresses that infrastructure firms “may be dependent on the continuous and adequate functioning of third-party service providers that are critical to an FMI’s operations, such as information technology and messaging providers.”
In addition to establishing an oversight methodology for regulators, the paper also provides guidance for the authorities in assessing infrastructure firms’ critical service providers.
The policymakers also provide guidance to the service providers themselves in complying with their oversight expectations. And, it provides more detailed guidance to these sorts of firms on risk management practices and additional issues.