Four commercial banks in Suriname faced cyber threats in 2025. These included phishing, attacks that disrupt digital services and attempts to gain access to systems or sensitive information through deception. This is according to the October 2026 Financial Stability Report by the Centrale Bank van Suriname (CBvS).
The Central Bank examined the cyber resilience of the banking sector through a questionnaire submitted to the nine commercial banks.
The questionnaire covered, among other things, cybersecurity, risk management, incident response, dependence on external suppliers and the availability of specialised staff.
According to the report, all participating banks regard cyber risks as a strategic priority.
Phishing and DDoS attacks
According to the CBvS, the cyber threats faced by the four banks in 2025 differed in nature and scale.
The most common threats included phishing, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and social engineering.
In phishing, malicious actors attempt to obtain personal data or login credentials through, for example, fraudulent emails or messages.
DDoS attacks are aimed at overloading digital systems or websites, which can make services temporarily inaccessible.
In social engineering, attackers attempt to deceive people into disclosing confidential information or carrying out certain actions.
Several banks also reported attacks on web applications and through the supply chain.
The report does not state that all reported threats resulted in successful attacks, financial losses or the loss of customer data.
Banks have developed security strategies
The study shows that all participating banks periodically conduct cyber risk assessments.
Based on these, the institutions have developed and implemented strategies to manage digital security risks.
According to the CBvS, responsibility for cyber risk management is mainly assigned at management level.
Banks also assess the cyber risks posed by external parties, including suppliers and business partners. This is done when entering into partnerships and through ongoing monitoring and checks.
Nevertheless, the Central Bank finds that the management of digital vulnerabilities is still under development at most banks.
Digitalisation brings new risks
The Central Bank emphasises that cyber threats pose a structural risk to financial stability.
Due to the increasing digitalisation of banking services, financial institutions are becoming more dependent on computer systems, digital networks and external technology providers.
Moreover, banks are interconnected through financial and payment transactions. As a result, a serious cyber incident at one institution may affect other parts of the financial system.
The report also refers to information from the national Cyber Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT), which shows that online fraud, identity misuse, hacking, artificial intelligence-generated disinformation and fake accounts are important areas of concern.
Further strengthening of cyber resilience necessary
Although the banks surveyed have already taken various security measures, the reported threats underscore, according to the CBvS, the importance of continued attention to digital security.
In particular, awareness, monitoring, timely detection of attacks and improving security processes remain necessary.
The Central Bank therefore considers cyber resilience an important part of supervision of the financial sector.
