ECB orders eurozone banks to submit AI cybersecurity plans by October

The European Central Bank (ECB) has demanded that the largest banks in the eurozone present a comprehensive action plan by October 31, 2026 to address cybersecurity risks posed by advanced artificial intelligence models, such as Mythos from Anthropic Source: portafolioco, infobae. In a letter signed by supervisory board chair Claudia Buch, the ECB describes the threat as a "long-term shift in the threat landscape, not a temporary phenomenon" Source: lavanguardia.

What is required

The plans must include both immediate and long-term measures: accelerating vulnerability management and patching, strengthening AI-based defenses, and tightening oversight of third-party technology providers Source: lavanguardia, euronewses. The ECB will conduct a cross-analysis of the plans and share findings with banks Source: elespanol.

Broader warnings

The European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) has raised its systemic cyber risk rating to "severe" from "high", warning that advanced AI can "increase the speed, scale and sophistication of cyberattacks" Source: infobae, euronewses. The ESRB also highlighted the concentration of AI providers outside the EU as a strategic dependency risk Source: lavanguardia.

• The ECB postponed its annual IT questionnaire from September 2026 to February 2027 to give banks time to focus on the new threat Source: euronewses.
• Emerging technologies like quantum computing were also flagged for future attention Source: euronewses.