A small collection of views on topics that matter to boards in financial services right now. Not exhaustive commentary - just considered perspectives from someone who has spent time at the operational end of these issues.
Most boards are aware that AI is significant. Fewer have worked out what their governance responsibilities actually are - and the gap between awareness and action is widening. The question is no longer whether AI is on the risk register, but whether the board has the right conversations about it.
Boards don't need to understand the technical architecture of a large language model. They do need to be able to ask the right questions about how AI is being used in their organisation, what decisions it is influencing, and what the escalation path looks like when something goes wrong.
Ireland has built a significant fintech sector, but the governance infrastructure has not always kept pace with the growth. Many companies that have scaled rapidly through the startup phase find themselves with board structures that were appropriate for an earlier stage - but are no longer fit for the regulatory and strategic complexity they now face.
The right moment to address this is before it becomes urgent. Nominations committees in particular should be looking at whether the board's composition reflects where the business is heading, not just where it has been.
There is still a tendency on some boards to treat technology risk as something that sits with the CTO or the IT function or occasionally surfaces in an audit report, and is otherwise managed elsewhere. This is a governance blind spot.
Operational resilience, data governance, AI risk and cybersecurity are now strategic matters that can affect a firm's regulatory standing, customer relationships and long-term viability. Boards need to be comfortable with these issues at a strategic level, even if the technical detail is rightly delegated.
I share shorter commentary on fintech, payments and AI governance on LinkedIn - typically a few times a month. If these topics are relevant to you, it is the easiest way to stay in touch with what I am thinking about.