FinTechs and the City 2025: AI Governance, Risk Management, and Vulnerable Customer Protection
- Daniel Rolles
- Sep 7
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 11
What a brilliant evening last week at the London Stock Exchange for the Enterprise Tech Monthly - FinTechs and the City 2025 Edition!
The event brought together FinTech CEOs with industry experts to explore how AI and data innovations are reshaping Financial Services - particularly in the critical areas of governance, risk management, and customer protection.
AI Governance & Risk Innovation: The New Frontier
The standout discussion, "From Data to Decisions: How AI, data and insights are reshaping finance," showcased how forward-thinking companies are addressing one of the industry's most pressing challenges: how to capture AI's transformative potential whilst managing the inherent risks.
Julian Riebartsch (LinkedIn) - CEO, Calvin Risk and Vlad Stanev (LinkedIn) - CEO, Quantly presented compelling approaches to AI governance frameworks. Their work demonstrates that robust observability and governance structures are no longer optional - they're essential for any organization seriously deploying AI in financial services.
The conversation was particularly timely given the rapid pace of AI adoption across the sector. As Julian emphasized, the challenge isn't just implementing AI solutions, but ensuring they remain compliant, trustworthy, and aligned with regulatory expectations.
Vulnerable Customer Protection: Technology for Social Good
One of the evening's most impactful presentations came from Savannah Price (LinkedIn) - CEO, Serene, who shared powerful insights on using AI to identify and support vulnerable customers.
Serene's multi-factor analysis approach to detecting financial stress events represents exactly the kind of innovation the sector needs. Their technology platform can identify customers experiencing financial vulnerability in real-time, enabling proactive rather than reactive support.
This aligns remarkably with the work we've been doing at Crosslight on debt advice and financial vulnerability. The potential for collaboration is exciting - combining Serene's advanced analytics with our expertise in financial vulnerability could significantly enhance support for those most at risk during financial crises.
Industry Perspective: Balancing Innovation with Responsibility
Kirsty Rutter (LinkedIn) from Lloyds Banking Group provided valuable insights from the established banking perspective. The "Redefining Wealth" discussion highlighted fascinating shifts in investment demographics and priorities. Kirsty's points on the disintermediation that AI agents might create in the financial services industry were particularly thought-provoking.
Key Insights for the Financial Services Sector
Smart Risk Management: As AI adoption accelerates, robust observability and governance frameworks (remember 𝗴𝗼𝘃≠𝗼𝟭𝟭𝘆) become essential. The key is to be risk aware, not risk averse.
Proactive Vulnerable Customer Support: Technology can and should be leveraged to better identify and support customers in financial distress - moving from reactive to predictive care.
Data-Driven Competitive Advantage: Organizations that can effectively combine data, AI, and insights whilst maintaining robust governance will lead the next wave of financial innovation.
The Path Forward
The collaboration between established financial institutions and innovative FinTech startups demonstrated at this event points to a promising future. We're moving toward a financial services landscape where traditional banking expertise combines with cutting-edge AI technology to create more inclusive, intelligent, and responsive customer experiences.
The focus on vulnerable customer protection, in particular, shows how the sector is evolving beyond pure profit motives to embrace technology for genuine social good.
Grateful to London Stock Exchange Group for hosting and bringing together such an impressive group of innovators. Special thanks to Oli Bage (LinkedIn) and Ralph Ellison (LinkedIn) from LSEG, and the Accenture FinTech Innovation Lab for facilitating these crucial conversations.
About the Author
Daniel Rolles is the CEO and Founder of BearingNode, where he leads the firm's mission to help organisations unlock the commercial value of their data whilst enhancing their risk management capabilities.
As CEO, Daniel drives BearingNode's strategic vision and thought leadership in data transformation, analytics strategy, and the evolving regulatory landscape. He regularly shares insights through industry publications and speaking engagements, focusing on practical approaches to data governance, AI implementation, and performance transformation in regulated environments. He is one of the key authors of BearingNode's Data and Information Observability Framework.
With over 30 years of experience in Data, Analytics and AI, Daniel has successfully built and led D&A teams across multiple industries including Financial Services (investment, commercial and retail banking, investment management and insurance), Healthcare, and Real Estate. His expertise spans consulting, commercial leadership, and delivery management, with a particular focus on data governance and regulatory compliance.
Daniel holds a Bachelor of Economics (University of Sydney), Masters of Science (Birkbeck College, University of London), and Executive MBA (London Business School).
Based in London, Daniel is passionate about financial inclusion and social impact. He serves as a Trustee for Crosslight Advice, a debt advisory and financial literacy charity based in West London that provides vital support to individuals facing financial vulnerability.
Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn or learn more about BearingNode's approach to data and analytics transformation at BearingNode.
