China: Cyberspace Administration of China opened consultation on guidelines for data classification and grading of financial information services

On 24 January 2026, the Cyberspace Administration of China opened a consultation on the draft guidelines for data classification and grading of financial information services until 23 February 2026. The aim of the guidelines is to set out how the four-tier level data classification framework of core, important, sensitive, and general data applies to financial information services, with the aim of allowing financial information service providers to comply with cybersecurity requirements. The guidelines thus provide data classification rules and definitions of sector-specific categories, such as business data, financial market data, and macroeconomic data. Further, the guidelines provide rules for sorting financial services information into the four-tier framework by setting out relevant elements, such as data coverage, time span, and accuracy, significant factors like national security and public interest, and degree of impact. The guidelines also describe the steps of the grading process for providers and give examples.