Cybersecurity and Legal Models for Business Resilience: A Comparative Analysis of Singapore and Neighboring South Asian Nations

As digital transformation continues to reshape the global economy, legal frameworks become the essential drivers of corporate digital resilience. This paper presents a comparative legal analysis between Singapore’s strong and proactive cybersecurity laws and the fragmanted legal systems of South Asian countries (Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Bhutan). This study finds that while Singapore focuses on prevention, cooperation and clear procedures for responding to cyber attacks, many South Asian countries rely on criminal liability after the cyber attacks have occurred. As a result of weak coordination between laws, shortage of skilled professionals in this field and absence of separate legal requirements for SMEs, the increase of cyber attacks increases across South Asia. Through a comparative socio-legal approach, this paper recommends establishing national SME Cyber Resilience Centers, improving regional cooperation through common SAARC cybersecurity standards, and adapting key features of Singapore's structured cybersecurity response model to strengthen cyber resilience across the region.