Financial Services

AI governance built for the regulatory reality of financial services

Your firm is already using AI. The question is whether you can see it, control it, and prove to examiners that you are governing it. Clarier gives you the inventory, the risk assessments, and the audit trail that regulators expect.

The Challenge

AI adoption in financial services is outpacing governance

The tools are already in use. The regulatory expectations are already set. The gap between what's happening and what's documented is where the risk lives.

Critical

Shadow AI on Trading Desks and Advisory Teams

Analysts are using ChatGPT to summarize earnings calls. Traders are running market scenarios through AI tools. Advisory teams are drafting client communications with LLMs. Most of this is happening on personal accounts, outside your security perimeter, and without any record of what data went in.

Critical

Regulatory Pressure Is No Longer Theoretical

The SEC named AI as an examination priority for the second consecutive year. FINRA flagged AI as an emerging risk in its annual priorities letter. The DOJ expects firms to have operational AI governance, not just written policies. The question has shifted from 'should we govern AI' to 'can you prove you are.'

High

Vendor Risk in AI Is Fundamentally Different

Your existing third-party risk management process was built for SaaS vendors, not AI. It doesn't cover model training data practices, whether your inputs are used to improve models, data retention windows, behavioral drift over time, or how outputs are generated. Traditional TPRM questionnaires miss the risks that matter most.

High

Board and Examiner Scrutiny

Regulators and board members are asking the same question: 'What AI are you using and how is it governed?' If the answer requires pulling data from five spreadsheets and three email threads, that's a problem. They expect a documented program with clear inventory, approval records, and ongoing monitoring.

Of firms report shadow AI usage

More AI tools than IT tracks

Lack formal AI governance

0nd yr

SEC names AI exam priority

How Clarier Helps

From shadow AI to examiner-ready documentation

Each capability maps directly to what regulators and boards are asking for.

Shadow AI Discovery

Addresses: Shadow AI

Detect unauthorized AI tool usage across the firm through network gateway logs, identity provider data, endpoint agents, and DLP integrations. See which desks, teams, and departments are adopting AI tools before they become embedded in workflows.

Vendor Research Reports

Addresses: Vendor Risk

AI-specific risk assessments covering data handling policies, model training practices, SOC 2 and ISO compliance, data residency, and retention. Each vendor receives a trust rating from A to F so your team can compare tools objectively, not anecdotally.

Approval Workflows

Addresses: Board Scrutiny

A structured review and approval process that routes requests to the right stakeholders, captures decisions with full context, and produces the kind of documentation examiners expect to see. No more email chains or shared drives masquerading as governance.

Executive Reporting & Board Decks

Addresses: Examiner Readiness

Board-ready reports showing program maturity, tool inventory status, risk posture, and adoption trends. Give your board and senior leadership a clear, honest picture without weeks of manual preparation before each meeting.

Immutable Audit Trail

Addresses: Regulatory Pressure

Every tool evaluation, approval decision, policy change, and risk assessment is logged with timestamps and attribution. When an examiner asks how a specific tool was approved, you have the full chain of custody, not a reconstructed narrative.

Regulatory Landscape

The regulatory walls are closing in

Multiple regulators are now explicitly expecting AI governance programs. Here is where things stand.

SEC

AI is an examination priority for 2025-2026. Examiners are assessing whether firms have adequate controls around AI use in trading, advisory, and compliance functions, including how AI-generated outputs influence investment decisions.

FINRA

Identified AI as an emerging risk requiring supervision frameworks. Firms must demonstrate that AI tools used in communications, research, and trade surveillance are subject to the same supervisory obligations as human activities.

DOJ

Updated corporate compliance guidance expects organizations to have AI governance programs. Prosecutors will evaluate whether firms identified AI risks, implemented controls, and monitored compliance as part of their overall compliance posture.

EU AI Act

Firms operating in or serving EU clients face classification requirements for AI systems. High-risk designations trigger conformity assessments, documentation obligations, and human oversight mandates that affect how AI tools can be deployed.