Standards Comparison

    ISO 27001

    Voluntary
    2022

    International standard for information security management systems

    VS

    Basel III

    Mandatory
    2010

    Global framework for bank capital, leverage, and liquidity standards

    Quick Verdict

    ISO 27001 provides voluntary ISMS certification for all industries worldwide, while Basel III mandates capital, liquidity, and leverage rules for banks. Organizations adopt ISO 27001 for security resilience and market trust; Basel III ensures financial stability and regulatory compliance.

    Cybersecurity

    ISO 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001:2022

    Cost
    €€€€
    Complexity
    High
    Implementation Time
    6-12 months

    Key Features

    • Risk-based Information Security Management System
    • PDCA cycle for continual improvement
    • 93 Annex A controls in four themes
    • Internationally recognized certification standard
    • Technology- and industry-agnostic framework
    Financial Risk Management

    Basel III

    Basel III: Finalising post-crisis reforms

    Cost
    €€€
    Complexity
    Medium
    Implementation Time
    18-24 months

    Key Features

    • Strengthened CET1 capital requirements and buffers
    • Non-risk-based leverage ratio backstop
    • Liquidity Coverage Ratio for 30-day stress
    • Net Stable Funding Ratio for funding stability
    • Enhanced Pillar 3 RWA comparability disclosures

    Detailed Analysis

    A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.

    ISO 27001 Details

    What It Is

    ISO/IEC 27001:2022 is an international certification standard for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving an Information Security Management System (ISMS). It uses a risk-based approach to manage information assets' confidentiality, integrity, and availability across all industries.

    Key Components

    • **Clauses 4-10Mandatory requirements covering context, leadership, planning, support, operation, evaluation, and improvement.
    • **Annex A93 controls in four themes (Organizational: 37, People: 8, Physical: 14, Technological: 34).
    • Built on PDCA cycle for continual improvement.
    • Certification via accredited auditors with Stage 1/2 audits, surveillance, and recertification.

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Mitigates breach risks amid rising cyber threats.
    • Meets voluntary but essential compliance for tenders, insurers, partners.
    • Enhances resilience, reduces incident costs (e.g., 30% fewer incidents).
    • Builds trust, wins bids (20-30% more in finance/tech), enables market access.

    Implementation Overview

    • Phased: Initiation, risk assessment, deployment (6-18 months).
    • Scalable for SMEs to enterprises; all sizes/industries.
    • Requires audits for certification, ongoing PDCA.

    Basel III Details

    What It Is

    Basel III is the global prudential regulatory framework issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) post-2007-2009 financial crisis. It strengthens bank resilience through enhanced capital quality and quantity, leverage constraints, and liquidity standards. Its risk-based approach combines minimum requirements with supervisory review and disclosures.

    Key Components

    • **Three PillarsPillar 1 (capital ratios: CET1 4.5%, Tier 1 6%, Total 8%; leverage ratio 3%; LCR/NSFR); Pillar 2 (ICAAP, stress testing); Pillar 3 (comparability disclosures like KM1, LR1, CDC).
    • Buffers (CCB 2.5%, CCyB, G-SIB/D-SIB).
    • Output floor (72.5% standardized RWA).
    • No formal certification; compliance via national implementation.

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Mandatory for internationally active banks to meet legal requirements.
    • Mitigates systemic risk, improves funding costs, enhances resilience.
    • Builds investor trust via transparent disclosures; shapes asset allocation.

    Implementation Overview

    • Phased enterprise transformation: governance, data systems, models.
    • Involves QIS, parallel runs, training; applies to large banks globally.
    • Ongoing supervisory audits, no external certification.

    Key Differences

    Scope

    ISO 27001
    Information security management systems (ISMS)
    Basel III
    Bank capital, liquidity, leverage requirements

    Industry

    ISO 27001
    All industries, all sizes worldwide
    Basel III
    Primarily banking sector globally

    Nature

    ISO 27001
    Voluntary certification standard
    Basel III
    Mandatory prudential regulatory framework

    Testing

    ISO 27001
    Internal/external certification audits
    Basel III
    Supervisory review, stress testing, reporting

    Penalties

    ISO 27001
    Loss of certification, reputational damage
    Basel III
    Fines, capital add-ons, business restrictions

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Common questions about ISO 27001 and Basel III

    ISO 27001 FAQ

    Basel III FAQ

    You Might also be Interested in These Articles...

    Run Maturity Assessments with GRADUM

    Transform your compliance journey with our AI-powered assessment platform

    Assess your organization's maturity across multiple standards and regulations including ISO 27001, DORA, NIS2, NIST, GDPR, and hundreds more. Get actionable insights and track your progress with collaborative, AI-powered evaluations.

    100+ Standards & Regulations
    AI-Powered Insights
    Collaborative Assessments
    Actionable Recommendations

    Check out these other Gradum.io Standards Comparison Pages