Key Points
- Pakistan’s securities regulator has established a dedicated centre to detect and respond to cyber threats
- The facility will monitor the regulator’s networks, servers and cloud systems 24 hours a day
- The regulator plans a common cybersecurity framework for capital market institutions
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s financial markets regulator has established a Security Operations Centre (SOC) to protect its digital infrastructure, detect cyber threats and improve its ability to respond to potential attacks.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), which regulates the country’s corporate sector and capital markets, inaugurated the facility on Tuesday.
National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Munir Afsar opened the centre and highlighted the importance of cybersecurity.
SECP Chairman Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu, commissioners Imtiaz Haider, Muzaffar Ahmed Mirza and Zeeshan Khattak, and other senior officials attended the ceremony.
The centre will monitor the SECP’s computer networks, servers and cloud-based systems around the clock to help identify suspicious activity and enable timely responses to cyber threats.
The project was completed in line with international standards with support from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), in collaboration with Karandaaz Pakistan, Inara Technologies and cybersecurity company REWTERZ.
The regulator has established the centre as part of its efforts to modernise its information technology infrastructure and strengthen the security of the digital systems used to oversee companies and capital market activities.
In a separate meeting, Sidhu briefed the NADRA chairman on the SECP’s information technology reforms, infrastructure upgrades and use of artificial intelligence to facilitate business operations.
The regulator also plans to bring capital market institutions under a common cybersecurity framework.
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The SECP initiative aims to strengthen the regulator’s role as a sectoral Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), coordinating efforts to identify, report and respond to cyber incidents affecting the market.
The proposed framework would encourage a more coordinated approach to cybersecurity across capital market institutions.
The security of interconnected digital systems is important for protecting information and maintaining confidence in financial market operations.
