How ZealiD Meets DORA Requirements for Financial Institutions

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), set to be fully enforceable by 2025, brings a new regulatory focus on the digital resilience of financial entities and their critical third-party ICT providers. As financial institutions and regulated entities rush to assess and ensure compliance, it’s clear that identity management and trust services play a central role in operational resilience.

In this article, we explore how ZealiD, as a Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) and Microsoft ISV, is uniquely positioned to help financial providers meet DORA's demanding requirements—across compliance, security, and service continuity.

What DORA Means for Financial Institutions

DORA requires financial institutions to ensure that:

• ICT systems are resilient and secure
• Identity and access management controls are robust
• Third-party ICT service providers are auditable and compliant
• Data integrity and traceability are maintained throughout the lifecycle of digital transactions

This regulation applies not only to banks and insurers, but also to payment institutions, crypto providers, and their entire ecosystem of third-party providers.

ZealiD’s Compliance-Ready Architecture

ZealiD is a government-supervised QTSP under eIDAS. This means our services already meet many of DORA’s key demands:

1. Identity Assurance at the Highest Level
Our onboarding process—based on biometric identity proofing and ID document scanning—is compliant with ETSI standards and audited by government bodies. This ensures:

• Reusable, qualified digital identities
• Full traceability and audit trails for every verified credential and signature

2. Secure and Redundant Infrastructure
ZealiD operates under ETSI EN 319401 and TS 119 461 controls. Our services are:

• Hosted in high-availability EU data centers
• Monitored for uptime and performance 24/7
• Resilient to single points of failure

3. eIDAS Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES)
ZealiD provides QES that carry the highest legal effect in the EU. This ensures:

• Non-repudiation and legal enforceability
• Secure transaction authorisation, essential for financial services

Built for Third-Party Risk Transparency

DORA mandates strict oversight of third-party ICT providers. ZealiD simplifies compliance in this area:

- Full Transparency: Audit logs, identity verification records, and credential issuance events are fully traceable.

- Regular Audits: ZealiD undergoes external conformity assessments and national supervision.

- Contracts and SLAs: Clear terms for uptime, incident reporting, and data handling are provided in our service agreement and DORA annex.

Seamless Integration with Microsoft Entra and IAM Ecosystems

ZealiD integrates with Microsoft Entra Verified ID, Workday, and leading IAM systems. This makes it easy for product and security teams to:

• Enforce verified identity at onboarding and authentication
• Issue signed credentials that can be reused across applications
• Maintain continuity across HR, legal, and access management workflows

Ready for 2025 and Beyond

DORA compliance isn’t a one-time checklist—it’s an ongoing strategy. With ZealiD, financial institutions can:

• Rely on a DORA-ready partner
• Reduce time-to-compliance
• Build digital resilience into every identity transaction
  
  Want to learn more?
  Get in touch with our compliance team or explore our service documentation for DORA in the ZealiD Trust Center.
  
  

About ZealiD

ZealiD is an EU Qualified Trust Service Provider offering identity wallets and qualified electronic signatures across Europe. We are a certified Microsoft ISV Partner and trusted by financial institutions, Fortune 500 companies, and national governments.

Related Articles:

financial institutions, Fortune 500 companies, and national governments.

• [Why Financial Services Choose Qualified Electronic Signatures]
• [Understanding eIDAS and Its Role in Cross-Border Compliance]
• [Decentralized Identity and Verifiable Credentials Explained]