Compliance professionals have long known that systems fail when governance does. An MIT study’s finding that 95 percent of enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) pilots fail underscores how essential compliance-grade discipline is to the success of emerging technologies.
Best Practices
Risk-Based AML only works if the C-suite agrees what ‘risk’ means
Banks emphasize risk-based compliance in their AML programs, citing it to regulators and embedding it in policy, yet many institutions still handle risk very differently in practice.
Why boards can’t afford ‘absence of proof’ defenses
On a gray Tuesday morning, the audit seemed routine. A stack of binders sat on the table, the compliance officer was confident, and the regulator’s tone was cordial. Then came the question that changed everything.
Tracing Illicit Crypto: How to leverage blockchain analytics for effective AML compliance
Cryptocurrency’s transparency can be exploited for laundering, ransomware, and darknet activity. Blockchain analytics helps trace funds and flag suspicious behavior.
Why regulators, boards, and compliance leaders can no longer afford to defer critical choices
Decision debt is the practice of leaving key compliance decisions unresolved, and it is a crisis few compliance leaders are willing to name. Some of the world’s largest financial institutions, including Wells Fargo and Citibank, have learned this lesson the hard way.
Study: Compliance managers must set rules in race to adopt AI agents and copilots
More than half of all compliance teams are “actively using” or “piloting” AI applications, according to a Moody’s report. While most are focusing on streamlining routine tasks, some are developing AI agents and asking vital questions about AI decision-making.
AI adoption without trust: A call for compliance professionals
Employees are adopting AI faster than companies can build policies, governance, and training. That gap creates compliance exposure in areas from data privacy to shadow IT to workplace equity.
Digital wallets should speed up compliance, but companies must focus on trust and security
The EU has one, the U.K. is getting one, many U.S. states are working with Google and Apple to provide one, and now industry sectors are developing their own digital wallet.
A friend for the compliance officer: Co-thinking with AI
At their core, compliance officers are problem-solvers. They wrestle with thorny questions every day: How do we implement a global gifts-and-entertainment policy across jurisdictions with vastly different cultural norms? How do we balance business pressures with anti-corruption obligations? How do we address new risks like AI itself?
Cross-border compliance: Lessons from the UAE for a globalized financial system
Financial ecosystems are no longer confined within national boundaries. Money, technology, and risks flow seamlessly across jurisdictions, creating unprecedented challenges for compliance officers. From sanctions and anti-money laundering (AML) obligations to the rise of virtual assets, the compliance function must now navigate a complex, cross-border landscape where regulators, institutions, and technologies often move at different speeds.


