Pakistan Banking Sector Concludes First Cyber Drill as SBP Plans 'Cyber Shield 2025–30'

Overview

• The week-long exercise ran from January 12 to 19 in Karachi and Lahore and closed with a ceremony attended by SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad and PBA Chairman Zafar Masud.
• Thirty-four financial institutions participated using an industry-run simulation lab that tested both technical teams and senior leaders on ransomware and digital-channel disruption scenarios.
• SBP said it will issue a sector-wide Cyber Resilience Strategy titled Cyber Shield 2025–30, incorporating lessons from the drills into a five-pillar framework.
• The central bank has created a dedicated Cyber Risk Management Department to strengthen supervision, deepen engagement with banks and improve incident reporting.
• SBP underscored that resilience is measured by response effectiveness, citing rising threats, tight cybersecurity talent supply and the need for transparent information sharing across the sector.