Case study: automating GRC reporting for financial institutions 

1. Situation

With the introduction of the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) – effective from January 16, 2023, with a compliance deadline of January 17, 2025 – financial organizations across the EU faced the urgent need to strengthen their digital risk management and third-party oversight. DORA requires financial entities to identify, manage, and report ICT risks, monitor third-party providers, and share threat intelligence to maintain operational continuity across the sector. 

Our client – a Benelux-based company providing an EU-focused compliance platform – saw the complexity of the DORA requirements as both a challenge and a strategic opportunity. They recognized that financial institutions would need support in managing increasingly demanding digital compliance obligations, including real-time reporting and third-party risk monitoring. To address this, the company envisioned a scalable and flexible solution that would simplify regulatory compliance across multiple frameworks – including DORA, NIS2 (cybersecurity), and anti-money laundering (AML). 

To bring this vision to life, they were looking for a technology partner to design and build a regulatory reporting tool that could streamline data collection, automate compliance workflows, and adapt to future EU regulatory changes. This tool would position them to support other fintech companies facing similar challenges and lay the groundwork for offering compliance-as-a-service across the financial sector. A key challenge of the project was timing: the tool needed to be built and launched within the tight deadline set by the EU’s DORA compliance framework. Meeting this deadline was critical – not only for ensuring regulatory readiness, but also for positioning our client as a frontrunner in the evolving EU regtech landscape. 

3. Process

The WorkNomads team worked closely with the client – conducting weekly demo and sync sessions to design and refine the core logic of the compliance reporting tool. The application needed to meet both strict regulatory requirements and the practical needs of compliance professionals using it daily. 

To support fast and reliable delivery, the team implemented secure and automated CI/CD pipelines, enabling continuous deployment. This setup allowed for rapid iteration, frequent updates, and seamless integration of new features – all critical for delivering a solution within the tight DORA timeline. In parallel with core regtech development, the team suggested and implemented a number of UX improvements to support usability. We collaborated with external design partners to integrate these enhancements, resulting in a more intuitive and efficient user interface tailored to the complex workflows of financial compliance platforms. 

4. Outcome

Fast delivery

The MVP of the application was launched in just 3 months, successfully meeting the initial DORA compliance deadlines. It was followed by two additional releases over the next 6 months, introducing enhanced features and all key functionalities needed to deliver the best possible user experience. An additional update is scheduled for July, further enhancing reporting capabilities and user experience. 

Quality

The final product achieved high levels of reliability, usability, and performance. It delivers a smooth, intuitive experience with clear workflows designed for compliance professionals. Fully aligned with DORA requirements, the platform is also flexible enough to support future regulatory updates. Its clean UI, fast performance, and ease of use have led to strong user adoption and positive early feedback. 

Business results

Following Version II, the client already has 10+ financial institutions actively using the platform to support their DORA compliance efforts. With momentum building and growing interest from fintech, banks, and compliance teams across the EU, the company is rapidly positioning itself as a key player in the regtech and compliance-as-a-service space.