There have been several incidents recently of truly large-scale data theft. Company secrets, too, are at stake. If, for example, the trading algorithms of your bank became known to others through illegal activities, they could be exploited in the market, causing huge losses to banks. In the same way, politically motivated acts of sabotage jeopardise trust in financial functions and integrity.
The Bank uses a variety of analytical tools and sources of economic intelligence to better understand and assess the impact of shocks like this one. Some of our tools, such as our Business Outlook Survey, help us identify near-term impacts, including changes in business investment. Others help us look at a longer horizon.