UK Regulators Interrogate Google Over Major Cloud Outage

UPDATE - follow-up to Google Cloud outage: Revolut suffers service disruption as bank customers report problems – business live: Google has apologised and confirmed that its power event in the London europe-west2 region has been mitigated, with services gradually returning. The disruption knocked offline banking apps, Revolut, court video cameras, and personal finance apps like Emma, impacting millions across the UK.

Regulatory Scrutiny

The Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England are pressing Google for full details. This incident marks the first major test for both regulators since they gained direct powers in July to oversee critical tech suppliers like Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, Oracle, and Microsoft.

Business Impact

Advisory firm Blick Rothenberg noted the outage hit lower-wage workers hard by blocking fund access on payment days, while law firm partner Ryan Gracey of Gordons warned that standard cloud contracts offer businesses little more than modest service credits for lost sales.

Context

Cloud computing infrastructure forms the backbone of modern digital banking and public services, meaning minor technical faults can cascade into widespread national disruption. Regulatory oversight of major technology firms aims to enforce strict resilience standards and protect everyday consumers from sudden digital failures.