Standards Comparison

    ISO 37001

    Voluntary
    2025

    International standard for anti-bribery management systems

    VS

    ISO 22301

    Voluntary
    2019

    International standard for business continuity management systems

    Quick Verdict

    ISO 37001 establishes anti-bribery systems to prevent corruption risks, while ISO 22301 builds business continuity for disruptions. Companies adopt them for legal mitigation, reputation protection, operational resilience, and certification-driven stakeholder trust.

    Anti-Bribery/Compliance

    ISO 37001

    ISO 37001: Anti-Bribery Management Systems

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

    Key Features

    • Risk-based ABMS with proportionate controls
    • Mandatory third-party due diligence requirements
    • Leadership commitment and anti-bribery culture
    • PDCA cycle for continual improvement
    • Internationally certifiable evidentiary standard
    Business Continuity

    ISO 22301

    ISO 22301:2019 Business continuity management systems Requirements

    Cost
    €€€
    Complexity
    Medium
    Implementation Time
    0-6 months

    Key Features

    • PDCA cycle for continual BCMS improvement
    • Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and risk assessment
    • Leadership commitment and roles assignment
    • Operational planning with testing exercises
    • Annex SL integration with ISO 27001

    Detailed Analysis

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

    ISO 37001 Details

    What It Is

    ISO 37001:2025 Anti-Bribery Management Systems (ABMS) is an international certifiable standard providing requirements for preventing, detecting, and responding to bribery. It employs a risk-based, proportionate approach scoped to bribery (direct/indirect, public/private sectors), following the Harmonized Structure (HS) and PDCA cycle.

    Key Components

    • Clauses 4-10 cover context, leadership, planning, support, operations, evaluation, improvement.
    • Core controls: policy, risk assessment, due diligence, financial/non-financial controls, training, reporting.
    • Built on leadership accountability, third-party focus, continual improvement.
    • Optional third-party certification with audits.

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Mitigates legal risks (FCPA, UK Bribery Act), reduces liability via evidentiary "reasonable steps".
    • Builds stakeholder trust, enhances reputation, cuts compliance costs up to 15%.
    • Enables market access, ESG alignment, operational efficiencies.

    Implementation Overview

    • Phased: gap analysis, risk assessment, controls, training, audits.
    • Scalable for all sizes/sectors; integrates with ISO 9001/27001.
    • Typical 6-12 months to certification; requires ongoing PDCA.

    ISO 22301 Details

    What It Is

    ISO 22301:2019 is an international certification standard titled Security and resilience — Business continuity management systems — Requirements. It provides a framework for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving a Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) to protect against disruptions. The standard uses a risk-based PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle and Annex SL high-level structure for alignment with other ISO standards.

    Key Components

    • Clauses 4-10: context, leadership, planning (BIA/RA), support, operations (testing), evaluation, improvement
    • Flexible requirements, no fixed controls; tailored via BIA
    • Core principles: resilience, continual improvement
    • Certification model: two-stage audits, 3-year validity, annual surveillance

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Reduces downtime, financial losses; enhances recovery
    • Meets regulations like NIS Directive
    • Builds trust, lowers insurance, boosts competitiveness
    • Risk mitigation for cyber, natural disasters, supply chains

    Implementation Overview

    • Phased: gap analysis, BIA/RA, policy, training, testing, audits
    • All sizes/sectors; accelerated by platforms (e.g., 6 months)
    • Cross-functional teams, leadership buy-in essential

    Key Differences

    Scope

    ISO 37001
    Bribery prevention, detection, response via ABMS
    ISO 22301
    Business continuity during disruptions via BCMS

    Industry

    ISO 37001
    All sectors worldwide, high-risk like extractives
    ISO 22301
    All sectors worldwide, critical like finance/utilities

    Nature

    ISO 37001
    Voluntary certifiable management system standard
    ISO 22301
    Voluntary certifiable management system standard

    Testing

    ISO 37001
    Internal audits, management reviews, certification audits
    ISO 22301
    BIA/RA, exercises, internal audits, certification audits

    Penalties

    ISO 37001
    No legal penalties, loss of certification only
    ISO 22301
    No legal penalties, loss of certification only

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Common questions about ISO 37001 and ISO 22301

    ISO 37001 FAQ

    ISO 22301 FAQ

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