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CMORG Completes Sector Simulation on Global Cloud Outage

lite News Desk 2 min read

At a glance

  • CMORG finished its biennial SIMEX26 simulation on 8 October 2026.
  • The exercise focused on a global cloud services disruption.
  • 38 major banks and market infrastructure operators participated.

The Cross-Market Operational Resilience Group (CMORG) conducted its SIMEX26 exercise to assess the financial sector’s response to a simulated global cloud services outage. The event involved key institutions and aimed to evaluate operational resilience under severe disruption scenarios.

The simulation was chaired by the Bank of England and UK Finance, with involvement from HM Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority, and other financial sector participants. The London Stock Exchange Group hosted the exercise, which was opened by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury.

SIMEX26 included the participation of the 38 largest and most systemically important banks and market infrastructure operators. The event was designed to test coordination and response strategies across the sector in the face of a widespread cloud services failure.

As part of the exercise, the Cross Market Business Continuity Group (CMBCG), chaired by the Bank of England, held a live meeting to support the simulation. This meeting formed a component of the broader test of sector-wide business continuity arrangements.

What the numbers show

  • SIMEX26 was completed on 8 October 2026.
  • 38 leading banks and market infrastructure operators took part.
  • The exercise is held every two years by CMORG.

The scenario for SIMEX26 focused specifically on a disruption to global cloud services, reflecting the sector’s reliance on these technologies. The simulation aimed to identify areas for improvement in the industry’s operational resilience planning and response capabilities.

Key UK financial authorities, including the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority, joined the simulation to ensure a coordinated approach across regulatory and industry bodies. The event provided an opportunity for these institutions to review and refine their crisis management frameworks.

Following the exercise, the Bank of England stated that it expects participating firms to take steps to enhance their resilience. According to the Bank, firms are encouraged to use the findings from the simulation to strengthen their ability to respond to severe operational and cyber incidents.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.

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