APRA CPS 230 Gap Assessment for a Mid-Tier Australian Financial Institution
Continuity Matters successfully delivered a comprehensive CPS 230 gap assessment and compliance framework for a mid-tier lender, achieving 100% regulatory alignment and reducing projected operational recovery timelines by 35%.
Industry: Financial Services / Non-Bank Lending
Organisation Size: 450+ Employees / AU$2B+ Assets Under Management
Core Challenge: APRA CPS 230 Regulatory Compliance & Operational Resilience
The Challenge
Following the enforcement of APRA CPS 230 guidelines, a prominent Australian non-bank lender discovered critical deficiencies in their legacy risk management framework. The institution lacked formal definitions for its "critical operations" and had not established legally defensible impact tolerances for severe operational disruptions. Furthermore, their extensive network of material third-party software and cloud service providers was entirely unmapped, leaving them exposed to severe regulatory penalties, audit failures, and unmitigated supply chain vulnerabilities.
Our Approach
Continuity Matters was engaged to perform an end-to-end operational resilience overhaul. Our team deployed a structured compliance methodology over a twelve-week period:
Critical Operations Mapping: Identified and isolated core business practices (including payment processing and loan drawdowns) to establish clear boundaries for service continuity.
Impact Tolerance Calibration: Defined precise, measurable maximum allowable data losses and downtime limits for each critical operation under catastrophic conditions.
Third-Party Risk Architecture: Formally audited and mapped all material service provider dependencies, identifying single points of failure within vendor service level agreements (SLAs).
Executive Validation: Designed and facilitated an immersive boardroom walkthrough scenario to test the executive team's decision-making capacity under the newly established CPS 230 framework.
The Results
100% Compliance Realised: Successfully transitioned the client to a fully compliant CPS 230 operating model, satisfying APRA obligations well ahead of regulatory deadlines.
35% Faster Technical Recovery: Streamlined critical vendor communication protocols and alternative data pathways, reducing projected recovery timelines for core payment platforms by 35%.
Audit-Ready Governance: Delivered executive-ready compliance documentation and dynamic Quick Reference Cards for the board, providing absolute clarity on third-party risk exposure and operational thresholds.