Kuwait

Kuwait Cyber & Operational Resilience Framework (CORF)

The Central Bank of Kuwait's Cyber & Operational Resilience Framework (CORF), launched in December 2025, moves Kuwait's banking and financial sector from a control-compliance model to a resilience-first regulatory regime. Cyberox helps in-scope institutions transition from the prior Cybersecurity Framework to CORF.

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Last reviewed: September 2026. Verify current requirements against the official regulator before acting — sources linked below.

CBK

Regulatory authority

Dec 2025

CORF launch

Core domains

Resilience-first

Regulatory model

Regulatory Landscape

What This Framework Requires

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Who Must Comply

CORF applies to all Central Bank of Kuwait-regulated entities: Kuwaiti banks, foreign banks operating in Kuwait, exchange companies, finance companies, e-payment companies, credit information companies and open banking providers.

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From CSF to CORF

CORF supersedes CBK's 2020 Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), expanding scope considerably beyond baseline cybersecurity controls into a broader resilience-first, maturity-oriented regulatory model.

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Framework Structure

CORF is organized around cyber resilience, operational resilience, and third-party risk management — a materially larger and more detailed control set than the framework it replaces.

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Resilience, Not Just Prevention

The framework's emphasis is on an institution's ability to prevent, withstand, respond to, and recover from cyber and operational disruptions while maintaining critical financial services — not simply implementing a static control checklist.

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Third-Party Risk Management

A dedicated CORF domain addresses third-party and vendor risk, reflecting how deeply Kuwaiti financial institutions now depend on cloud, fintech and outsourced technology providers.

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Verify Before You Commit

CORF is newly launched (December 2025) and implementation guidance continues to develop. Confirm current transition timelines, control detail and reporting expectations directly with the Central Bank of Kuwait before finalizing a compliance program.

How Cyberox Helps

CORF Transition & Compliance Services

We help CBK-regulated institutions assess their current CSF-era posture against CORF's expanded resilience requirements and build a realistic transition roadmap.

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CORF Gap Assessment — Assessment of current cybersecurity and operational-resilience posture against CORF's three core domains.
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CSF-to-CORF Transition Planning — A structured roadmap for institutions moving from the prior 2020 Cybersecurity Framework to the expanded CORF regime.
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Third-Party Risk Program — Vendor and outsourcing risk assessment methodology aligned with CORF's third-party risk domain.
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Operational Resilience Testing — Scenario-based testing to demonstrate an institution's ability to withstand and recover from disruption, not just prevent it.
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ISO 27001 & PCI DSS Alignment — Cross-mapping international standards into the same control structure as CORF for institutions pursuing both.

Request a CORF Readiness Assessment

CORF — 3 Domains

1Cyber Resilience

2Operational Resilience

3Third-Party Risk Management

Launched December 2025

CORF replaces CBK's 2020 Cybersecurity Framework with a substantially expanded, resilience-first regime.

FAQs

Kuwait Compliance — Common Questions

What is CBK CORF?+

The Cyber & Operational Resilience Framework (CORF) is the Central Bank of Kuwait's current regulatory framework for cybersecurity and operational resilience, launched in December 2025. It replaces CBK's 2020 Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) with a substantially expanded regime covering cyber resilience, operational resilience and third-party risk management.

Who must comply with CORF?+

CORF applies to all entities regulated by the Central Bank of Kuwait: Kuwaiti banks, foreign banks operating in Kuwait, exchange companies, finance companies, e-payment companies, credit information companies and open banking providers.

How is CORF different from the previous CBK Cybersecurity Framework?+

CORF represents a shift from a control-centric compliance model to a resilience-first, maturity-oriented regulatory model — with a substantially larger and more detailed control set spanning cyber resilience, operational resilience and third-party risk, compared to the narrower 2020 Cybersecurity Framework it replaces.

How long do institutions have to transition to CORF?+

Because CORF was only launched in December 2025, transition timelines and phased compliance expectations continue to be clarified by the Central Bank of Kuwait. Confirm current deadlines directly with CBK, and begin with a gap assessment to understand your institution's starting position.