RBI Cybersecurity Framework Compliance
The Reserve Bank of India's cybersecurity directives — the 2016 Master Direction on Cyber Security Framework, the 2023 IT Governance and IT Outsourcing master directions, the Digital Lending Guidelines 2022, and sectoral guidance for UCBs, NBFCs, payment system operators and FinTechs — form the most prescriptive cybersecurity regime in India. NexaSource helps regulated entities map, implement, operate and audit the controls that satisfy them.
Tier-aware approach for banks of every size
India-resident managed SOC built for RBI requirements
Evidence packs prepared for CERT-In empanelled auditors
RBI directives we map to
Cyber Security Framework (2016 + Annexes)
Annex 1 baseline cyber-security controls, Annex 2 cyber-resilience and Cyber-Crisis Management Plan, Annex 3 cyber-security operations, with tier-based applicability for SCBs and UCBs.
IT Governance Master Direction 2023
Board-level IT Strategy Committee, IT Steering Committee, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), risk management framework and audit obligations.
IT Outsourcing Master Direction 2023
Vendor due diligence, service-level agreements, data-localisation requirements, audit rights, business-continuity expectations and concentration-risk management.
Digital Lending Guidelines 2022
Loan service providers, data flows, customer protection, technology controls and grievance redressal — relevant for banks, NBFCs and lending fintechs.
UCB Cyber Security Framework
Tier-based controls for urban cooperative banks — proportionate to size and complexity, with progressive uplift expected over time.
NBFC Scale-Based Regulation
Layer-wise IT and cyber-security expectations for Base, Middle, Upper and Top layer NBFCs.
Our delivery approach
- Gap assessment (4 weeks): Control-by-control evaluation against applicable RBI directives, scored maturity baseline and prioritised remediation roadmap.
- Quick-win remediation (8-12 weeks): Highest-impact controls — privileged access, MFA on critical apps, baseline EDR coverage, log centralisation — deployed first.
- Architecture programme (3-9 months): Network re-segmentation, SOC build-out or uplift, identity and access programme, third-party access governance, application security programme.
- Audit-readiness (4 weeks pre-audit): Evidence pack assembly, mock audit, control-owner interview prep — ready for your CERT-In empanelled auditor.
- Continuous compliance (ongoing): 24×7 managed SOC, vulnerability management, periodic risk reviews, board-level reporting and CCMP exercises.
Where we engage
- Universal banks and small-finance banks — full-stack security programmes
- Urban cooperative banks — UCB framework implementation
- NBFCs and HFCs across SBR layers — controls scaled to layer obligations
- Payment system operators (PA-PG, PPI, prepaid, BBPS) — partner audits and continuous compliance
- Lending fintechs and digital lenders — Digital Lending Guidelines plus baseline RBI controls
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you a CERT-In empanelled auditor?
NexaSource is an implementation and managed-services partner — we work alongside CERT-In empanelled auditors to prepare evidence packs and remediate findings. We coordinate with the auditors of your choice.
Can you operate inside our premises?
Yes — for sensitive engagements we routinely embed engineers on-site, with background checks, NDAs and access controls aligned to your bank's vendor management policies.
How do you handle data residency?
All managed-service telemetry from RBI-regulated customers is stored in India by default — typically Indian regions of AWS or Azure, or on-prem SIEM clusters. Telemetry never leaves India.
Can you help with the CISO role?
Yes. We can support an existing CISO with depth and resourcing, or provide vCISO services for smaller institutions — covering board reporting, risk-committee participation and policy management.
What about CERT-In incident reporting?
We design 6-hour incident reporting workflows aligned to CERT-In Direction 2022 and integrated with RBI cyber-incident reporting timelines, including escalation matrices and template communications.
How long does a typical RBI compliance programme take?
Gap assessment 4 weeks; quick-win remediation 8-12 weeks; full architecture programme 3-9 months. Continuous compliance and managed SOC are open-ended.
Ready to start your RBI Cybersecurity Framework programme?
Get a quote, schedule a scoping call, or request an on-site visit.