5 Benefits of a Global CBPR/PRP Certification

A Global CBPR/PRP certification is an effective way for your organization to prove your privacy protections are adequate so that your customers can rest a bit easier. 

In April 2022, the USA and 7 other economies announced the launch of a global privacy forum to lead the APEC framework. The forum announced a new framework, the Global CBPR, in June 2025 to expand the existing system to jurisdictions outside of the APEC Member Economies and further their objectives to facilitate data protection and the free flow of data globally. The global program also promotes cooperation on data protection and privacy and pursues interoperability with other data protection and privacy frameworks.  

Some may have already been certified with the APEC framework, and if you fall into that category, don’t worry—certified companies and the accountability agents that certified them were automatically approved as part of this expansion. But for those of you who are unfamiliar with the CBPR/PRP framework, we’re here to help you understand.  

As an accredited accountability agent for the Global CBPR/PRP certifications, we’re going to break down what the Global CBPR/PRP certification stands for and how they can benefit your organization. 

What is the Global CBPR/PRP Certification? 

The global forum is relatively new, but the APEC CBPR framework has actually been around for a while. Before you can understand the certifications’ benefits, you need to understand how we got to this point. So, let’s break down the big pieces and their related acronyms: 

Knowing all that, the most important thing to understand is that the Global CBPR and Global PRP certifications are two different things: 

• Global CBPR certification is for controllers. 
• Global PRP certification is for processors. 

Both—assuming your organization conforms to the respective requirements and passes the assessment—are issued by an accountability agent, and it is possible to be certified under both frameworks, should your organization operate as a controller, as well as a processor. 

5 Benefits of a Global CBPR/PRP Certification 

But why should you consider getting certified at all? Several different privacy assessments might suit your organization, so let’s go over the benefits of this one in particular. 

1. Competitive Advantage

If you were to check active certifications within the CBPR compliance directory, you’d see that some of the biggest names in the IT world are already certified—maybe even some of your competitors. 

In our experience, not only has certification within the Global CBPR system granted some of our clients a competitive edge in participating regions but it’s also lowered barriers for them in setting up offices and to begin processing personal data in participating jurisdictions. 

2. Easier International Development and Data Transfer

As we mentioned before, the Global CBPR and its underlying framework are becoming even more relevant worldwide with the launch of the Global CBPR Forum, but even now they can be used to facilitate compliance with data transfer requirements while also expanding your activities in participating countries: 

• In the Pacific: Countries like Japan and Singapore have specifically approved the use of the CBPR system as a basis for data transfers. 
  • Japan, which has implemented particularly strict data protection rules, has signaled that authorized personal data can be transferred outside of Japan to an organization certified under the CBPR system. 
  • Based on Singapore’s data protection legislation (the Personal Data Protection Act, or PDPA), the Singapore government explicitly promotes the CBPR system as a means for organizations in Singapore to easily transfer personal data to overseas certified recipients without meeting other requirements. 

• In North America: The United States-Mexico-Canada agreement cited the CBPR as a valid mechanism to facilitate cross-border information transfers while protecting personal information. 
  
  
• In Europe: Our CBPR-certified clients have reported that their CBPR certification helped them in the approval process for their Binding Corporate Rules – BCRs – by European institutions.
   
• Globally: Bermuda, Dubai International Financial Centre, Mauritius, and the United Kingdom have recently become associates of the Global Forum, while Bangladesh, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Chile, France, Germany, India, Israel, Luxembourg, Qatar, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates have publicly expressed interest in joining the Forum and/or participated in Forum workshops. 

• Bermuda: Though not an APEC member, the island recognizes the certificate as a compliance mechanism for international data transfers.  

3. Improved Reputation and Reassured Customers 

For those organizations charged with protecting personal data, it’s important to demonstrate to customers that you’re taking their privacy and related rights seriously. Holding a CBPR certificate can help you to demonstrate your organization’s privacy compliance posture—here’s how: 

• You’d be respecting a set of requirements that mandates you inform customers about your practices and procedures related to privacy matters. 
• You’d have mechanisms in place to allow individuals to contact you and exercise their data privacy rights. 
• You’d hold a certification mark showing customers that your organization respects a high standard of privacy rules, backed by the government.  

 In the United States, accountability agents are authorized by the U.S. Department of Commerce to issue CBPR and PRP certifications. Such respected support, plus the aforementioned transparency and communication requirements, will go a long way with customers. 

4. Efficient Vendor Due Diligence Tool

Vendor due diligence can be a full-time job for growing organizations, and privacy concerns can complicate that. Sure, you may have protections in place, but can your customers trust your vendors to maintain a high standard for them as well? 
 
It would certainly help if you—and they knew—that your third-party providers held a Global PRP certification, which includes requirements related to implemented security safeguards and accountability measures. 

5. Complementary to Other Compliance Initiatives

The Global CBPR/PRP Certification is particularly complementary to ISO certifications, and the mappings are advantageous in both directions. 

If you were to achieve a Global CBPR/PRP certification, that could be the first step towards implementing further controls to be later used in becoming ISO 27701 certified—a lengthier process that  involves a wide array of documented policies and procedures to support a privacy information management system (PIMS) and the related controls. 

On the other hand, if you already hold an ISO 27701 certification, you could use CBPR/PRP certification to improve your PIMS while also adding a legal basis for data transfers. 

Moving Forward with the Global CBPR/PRP Certification

Right now, 13 jurisdictions have joined the new global forum—Japan, Canada, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Chinese Taipei/Taiwan, the Philippines, Mexico, and the United States, with Bermuda, Dubai International Financial Centre, Mauritius, and the United Kingdom as associates. As it continues to expand beyond the Pacific and gain ground globally, either certification can help you demonstrate to your customers that your organization follows a multi-jurisdictional data transfer privacy standard, evidenced by holding a certification given—after an independent assessment—by a third party accredited by the Joint Oversight Panel. 

It may be just the right corroboration you need to satisfy your customers’ privacy concerns, though you may still want to explore other options in the privacy space. If so, read our other articles on different assessments and certifications that may serve you better: 

• How to Prepare for ISO 27701:2024 
• An Overview of Microsoft DPR, Its New AI Requirements, and ISO 42001’s (Potential) Role
  
• ISO 27018 vs. ISO 27701 
• What is the EU – U.S. Data Privacy Framework?
• The New Secret to Security in the Automotive Industry: What is TISAX®?