Annexes J–M

Impact Scales

FIRE captures impact across four dimensions, each scored on a six-level scale from None to Severe. Impact ratings are essential from the Initial phase and feed into the overall severity rating.

Shared scale structure. All four impact scales use the same six levels — None, Insignificant, Minor, Moderate, Substantial, and Severe — but with dimension-specific descriptors for each level.

Financial Impact Annex J

The actual or expected financial loss, cost, or other adverse financial effect on the entity as a result of the incident.

Level Description
None No financial loss, cost, or adverse financial effect attributable to the incident.
Insignificant Negligible financial impact; any loss or cost is immaterial and easily absorbed within normal operating budgets.
Minor Some financial impact but within normal risk appetite and manageable without exceptional measures. No effect on capital ratios or regulatory requirements.
Moderate Material financial impact above the entity's materiality threshold. Provisions or write-offs may be required; management attention and reporting triggered.
Substantial Significant financial impact affecting the entity's capital position, liquidity, or profitability. May require regulatory notification of financial impact.
Severe Catastrophic financial impact posing a threat to the entity's viability or solvency. Potential for systemic financial spillover to other institutions or markets.

Operational Impact Annex K

The degree to which the incident disrupted the entity's ability to carry out its critical functions and services.

Level Description
None No disruption to operations or services.
Insignificant Negligible operational disruption; business as usual maintained. No customer impact or service degradation.
Minor Some disruption to non-critical functions or internal processes. No perceptible impact on customer-facing services.
Moderate Noticeable disruption to services or processes; some customer impact. Critical functions maintained but degraded. Active management required.
Substantial Significant disruption to critical services or functions; widespread customer impact. Recovery requires material resource allocation and escalation.
Severe Total or near-total failure of critical functions; catastrophic or prolonged service outage. Recovery requires extraordinary measures. Potential for systemic operational disruption.

Reputational Impact Annex L

The actual or potential damage to the entity's reputation, public standing, or relationships with clients, counterparties, and the public.

Level Description
None No reputational damage or public awareness of the incident.
Insignificant No media coverage; no public awareness. Any reputational effect is internal and does not affect client or market relationships.
Minor Limited or localised media coverage; minimal public awareness. Brief negative sentiment with no lasting effect on client relationships.
Moderate Notable media coverage; some public concern. Regulators take notice. Some client attrition or heightened client communication required.
Substantial Widespread negative media coverage; significant public concern and regulatory scrutiny. Material impact on client confidence, market perception, or counterparty relationships.
Severe Extensive and sustained adverse publicity; loss of market confidence. Potential regulatory enforcement action. Significant client or counterparty withdrawal or systemic loss of trust.

External Impact Annex M

The impact of the incident on parties external to the reporting entity — including clients, counterparties, market participants, and the broader financial system.

Level Description
None No impact beyond the entity's own operations and staff.
Insignificant Negligible or no external impact. No effect on clients, counterparties, or the wider market.
Minor Limited impact on a small number of clients or counterparties. No systemic concern and no market-wide effect.
Moderate Noticeable impact on a wider group of clients, counterparties, or market participants. May include delays or losses for third parties. Regulatory interest in external effects.
Substantial Significant impact on critical market participants, financial market infrastructure, or a substantial number of clients. Risk of transmission to other entities or markets.
Severe Systemic impact; multiple systemically important entities or critical market infrastructure affected. Contagion risk is material. Potential for broad financial instability.

See also: Severity Scale (Annex E) — the overall severity rating that synthesises these four impact dimensions.