Digital Sovereignty in the Cloud – White paper 2026

Digital Sovereignty in the Cloud

Cloud technologies have become an integral part of the IT landscape of banks. At the same time, dependence on individual cloud service providers is growing – technically, economically and regulatorily. With DORA, the EU Data Act and current geopolitical developments, it has become clear that cloud usage without strategic guidelines jeopardises digital sovereignty.

Many institutions today rely on hybrid multi-cloud architectures and assume that this automatically makes them independent. In practice, however, the opposite is often the case: central services are closely tied to individual providers, exit strategies exist only on paper, and cost and data protection risks are underestimated.

This white paper views digital sovereignty not as a goal of complete self-sufficiency, but as the concrete ability of financial companies to transform business-critical cloud services in a controlled, plannable and regulatory-compliant manner in the event of an emergency.

What you can expect in the white paper:

• Which cloud-specific risks (failure, costs, data protection) financial institutions need to realistically assess.
• How hybrid, multi-cloud and hybrid multi-cloud architectures influence digital sovereignty.
• Which strategic and architectural measures effectively reduce dependencies.
• What role EU cloud providers and European sovereign cloud offerings can play.
• Specific recommendations for action regarding strategy, roadmap and provider selection.

Why the topic of digital sovereignty is currently gaining importance

Cloud technologies are now a central component of banks’ IT strategies. At the same time, the framework conditions under which the cloud is used are changing noticeably. New regulatory requirements such as DORA and the EU Data Act, geopolitical developments and the increasing complexity of modern cloud services are leading to a greater focus on dependencies.

For financial institutions, this means that cloud strategies must not only be functional and economical, but also resilient in the long term. Digital sovereignty is thus becoming an important criterion for keeping risks under control, meeting regulatory requirements and ensuring the ability to act even under changing conditions.

Outlook

Digital sovereignty is not a one-time achievement, but an ongoing process. With increasing regulation, the further development of cloud technologies and the growing importance of European cloud offerings, banks are facing strategic decisions.

This white paper provides the basis for making the right decisions today – and aligning your cloud strategy so that it remains flexible, compliant and capable of action tomorrow.