Providing Backup Generators in Branches and Transfer Centers

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Saudi Central Bank

Reference No.: 42069605
Date: 1442/10/07
Attachments: None

Circular

To Whom It May Concern,
Peace be upon you, mercy of Allah and His blessings,

Subject: Providing Backup Generators in Branches and Transfer Centers.

In continuation of Saudi Central Bank Circular No. 381000058504 dated 1438/6/1H, which issued the Regulatory Guide for Business Continuity Management in the Banking Sector, and based on the Saudi Central Bank's supervisory and regulatory role in striving to maintain banking business continuity and mitigating potential risks of disasters and business interruptions faced by the banking sector.

We wish to inform you that local banks and financial institutions are required to establish necessary precautionary measures to ensure the continuity of branch services by providing alternative solutions and plans in case of power outages by the service provider. The Saudi Central Bank also expects continued diligent efforts to maintain banking business continuity based on each bank's/institution's assessment, ensuring service delivery to customers as required. This includes verifying the operational readiness of backup generators, their capacity, and conducting periodic tests and maintenance to ensure the generator's availability in case of power outages by the service provider. Furthermore, coordination with the Saudi Electricity Company is required to include main and backup data centers, as well as the bank's headquarters, in the priority list of the Company, and to explore possible options with the Company to provide full support and minimize the impact of scheduled and unscheduled power outages, ensuring a rapid return to operation without affecting banking services.

For information and action, effective from 2022/1/1G, and to provide the Saudi Central Bank within a maximum period of three months from its date with an inventory of branches to be equipped with backup generators, along with the dedicated timeline for this purpose, while confirming that it does not exceed the target date mentioned above.

Yours sincerely,

Fahd bin Ibrahim Al-Shathri
Deputy Governor for Supervision

Distribution Scope:

• Local banks and financial institutions operating in the Kingdom.

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P.O. Box 2992, Riyadh 11169, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | Phone: +966 11 463 3000 ---