Zurich, 17. April 2025 – Synpulse, a leading consultancy for the financial services industry, today announces the publication of its study, “AI in Compliance”. The study provides insights into the use of artificial intelligence in the region's financial sector, highlights the risks and challenges of AI and creates transparency about available AI solutions for compliance.
The study reveals that while banks indicate strong relevance of AI for compliance (97% reported at least a planned use or high interest in topic), current adoption is still rather low with half of the institutions not yet using AI for compliance (47%). Of those reporting adoption (53%), the majority apply AI for a few use cases – mainly third party know-your-customer solutions that have AI technology embedded.
Participating institutions reported several challenges: First, banks face significant gaps regarding AI know-how, appropriate data and processing technology (66%). Closing these gaps requires investments – especially for institutions that decide to go deeper into the AI value chain. A second challenge for many companies is to demonstrate a positive business case as the full potential of using AI is often not entirely transparent at the outset (59%). Thirdly, banks raised concerns regarding AI risks such as model and data risks. The vast majority of banks assessed the challenges of integrating AI into their model risk management including transparency and explainability as well as meeting the bank’s personal data protection policies and data risk management standards as high or very high (75% resp. 59%).
“Successful AI adoption that we have observed at banks relies on a combination of a bank-wide AI strategy including a supportive tone from the top, and proof-of-concepts that demonstrate the potential for a compelling business case and motivate the organisation to adopt AI.” said Tina Freund, Head of Regulatory Compliance & Risk at Synpulse in Switzerland. To ensure an efficient approach and a holistic risk perspective, Synpulse recommends integrating AI into banks' existing risk management programmes and a risk-based approach – in line with regulatory expectations. “Banks with experienced model and data risk teams find it easier to incorporate new AI risks into their governance.”
Daniele Abbruzzese, Senior Partner and Head of Banking Switzerland, adds: “With 97% of banks in Switzerland and Liechtenstein rating the relevance of AI for compliance as high, but almost half not yet using it, bridging gaps in AI know-how and data processing technology is crucial for successful AI adoption in the industry. In particular, the study supports banks that are at the beginning of their AI implementation to successfully address key questions around AI strategy, governance and risks."
For further discussion and access to the full study, please reach out to us!
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Media contact
Laura Schilliger, Communications Lead, Europe / Americas, Synpulse
laura.schilliger@synpulse.com
+41 44 802 20 00
