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Global regulators step up oversight of AI risks in finance

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Global financial watchdogs are intensifying their scrutiny of artificial intelligence (AI) in the banking sector, warning that heavy reliance on shared AI systems could threaten financial stability. As the use of AI accelerates across global markets, regulators are moving to monitor systemic risks and strengthen their own technological capabilities.

In a report published Friday, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) — which advises G20 governments — said widespread adoption of the same AI models and infrastructure could create “herd-like behaviour” across financial institutions. “This heavy reliance can create vulnerabilities if there are few alternatives available,” the FSB cautioned, warning that such concentration could amplify shocks during market stress.

A separate study by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) urged regulators and central banks to “raise their game” in monitoring and using AI. The BIS said authorities must not only understand AI’s potential to reshape markets but also adopt the technology themselves to improve supervision and data analysis.

The report comes amid an international race — led by the United States and China — to dominate next-generation AI tools and applications, including those that underpin financial services.

While the FSB said there is currently “little empirical evidence” that AI-driven correlations have directly impacted market outcomes, it warned that AI could increase exposure to cyberattacks and algorithmic fraud.

Some jurisdictions have already acted. The European Union’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), which took effect in January, establishes new rules for digital and AI-based systems used by financial institutions.

The emerging consensus among regulators is clear: AI promises efficiency and insight, but without vigilant oversight, it could become a new source of systemic risk in global finance.

AI-Simulated Fed Meeting Shows Political Pressure Polarises Policymakers

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A new study from George Washington University has used AI agents modeled on Federal Reserve policymakers to simulate a July 2025 FOMC meeting — and the results suggest that political pressure can fragment decision-making even inside the central bank.

The research, by Sophia Kazinnik and Tara Sinclair, programmed AI agents with each policymaker’s historical stances, biographies, and speeches, then fed them real-time economic data and financial news. The AI-driven board reached decisions much like the real FOMC — but when political scrutiny was introduced, dissent increased and consensus eroded.

“This simulation shows that the Federal Reserve is only partially insulated from politics,” the authors wrote. “Outside scrutiny can shape internal decision-making, even in an institution guided by formal rules.”

Central Banks Turn to AI

While no central bank is ready to let AI set monetary policy, many are adopting the technology to improve analysis and efficiency:

  • Federal Reserve: researched generative AI to analyze FOMC minutes.

  • European Central Bank: uses machine learning to forecast euro-area inflation.

  • Bank of Japan: applies AI to economic analysis; its 2023 study used large language models to track price drivers shifting from raw materials to labor costs.

  • Reserve Bank of Australia: testing AI tools that summarize policy-related questions, though Governor Michele Bullock stressed the tech is for analysis, not policymaking.

A Bank for International Settlements (BIS) report in April noted AI’s “strategic importance” but said most central banks remain in the early adoption phase, citing governance and data quality as key hurdles.

The Fed simulation underscores both the promise and perils of applying AI to policymaking: while powerful at capturing complex dynamics, it also exposes how political forces might destabilize even rule-bound institutions.

BIS Digital Currency Chief Cecilia Skingsley Steps Down Early for Swedish Government Role

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Cecilia Skingsley, the head of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub, is stepping down two years before the end of her five-year term to return to Sweden for a government appointment, the BIS announced.

Skingsley, a former deputy governor of Sweden’s Riksbank, will become County Governor of Stockholm County next month. She began her role at the BIS in September 2022, leading its work on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and other fintech innovations.

Departure Comes Amid BIS Strategic Shift

Her departure coincides with broader structural changes at the BIS, ahead of incoming General Manager Pablo Hernández de Cos, who takes over in July. Reports earlier this year indicated plans to scale back the Innovation Hub, which had grown rapidly since its 2019 launch, expanding to seven global financial centers including London, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

“Under Skingsley, the Innovation Hub made great strides toward fulfilling our strategic goal of helping central banks face the challenges of the future,” said Agustín Carstens, the BIS’s current chief.

CBDC Landscape in Flux

Skingsley’s exit also follows increasing geopolitical tension around CBDCs. Notably, the BIS abruptly withdrew last year from a high-profile CBDC pilot project with China and other Asian central banks, raising questions about internal policy shifts and global alignment.

CBDCs remain a strategic frontier for central banks, with dozens of jurisdictions exploring digital versions of national currencies amid competition from private stablecoins and global digital finance trends.

Interim Leadership and Succession Plans

  • The BIS said Deputy General Manager Andréa Maechler, formerly of the Swiss National Bank, will serve as interim head of the Innovation Hub.

  • A formal recruitment process for Skingsley’s successor will be announced “in due course.”

Skingsley’s early exit may influence how central banks recalibrate their digital currency strategies in the face of evolving regulatory, technological, and geopolitical pressures.