On 18 September 2026, the European Banking Authority (the EBA) published its final report on the new “Guidelines on the sound management of third-party risk regarding non-ICT services (EBA/GL/2026/09)” (the 2026 Guidelines).
The 2026 Guidelines replace the EBA’s previous guidelines on outsourcing arrangements (EBA/GL/2019/02) (the 2019 Guidelines), which outlined the standards that the EBA expects firms to uphold in relation to their outsourcing arrangements, as well as its supervisory expectations and processes.
The 2026 Guidelines extend beyond outsourcing specifically to the broader concept of third-party arrangements, and widen the range of entities to which they apply. Published against the backdrop of the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), which governs third-party risk for ICT services, the 2026 Guidelines are designed to close the corresponding gap for non-ICT services and to give financial entities and competent authorities a consistent framework across both regimes.