Establishing Enterprise-Grade AI Governance for a Major Bank

Business Impact

22%

Early detection of issues

82%

Fast-track approvals (low risk)

96%

Governance documentation coverage

How one global bank made responsible AI a business capability — not just a compliance requirement

Overview

As AI adoption accelerates across the financial sector, managing the risks, compliance requirements, and operational complexity of AI at scale has become a priority for enterprise banks.

A major global bank partnered with LatentBridge to address this challenge head-on. The goal: build a governance framework that enables safe, responsible, and scalable AI deployment across business functions — without slowing innovation.

This case study outlines the strategic approach, execution, and measurable outcomes of the program.

The Challenge

The bank had already begun leveraging AI across customer service, compliance, fraud detection, and operational efficiency. But with increasing experimentation came new risks:

Untracked AI development ("shadow AI")

  • Lack of unified governance structure
  • Inconsistent risk assessments
  • Limited legal and regulatory preparedness
  • Difficulty transitioning successful POCs to production
  • Inadequate clarity on roles and decision-making rights

To scale AI responsibly, the bank needed an enterprise-wide governance framework — one that could support innovation and meet emerging global compliance expectations.

What We Did

LatentBridge partnered with stakeholders across business, risk, legal, compliance, and technology functions to co-create a fit-for-purpose AI Governance Playbook for the bank.

The solution was structured across six interconnected pillars.

Enterprise AI Governance Framework

Picture 1101224872, Picture

1. Governance Structure and Oversight

We established a clear governance authority, supported by:

  • AI Head and Program Manager for strategic and operational execution
  • Regulatory Compliance SMEs and Legal Teams
  • Architects and Development teams with technical guardrails
  • Board-level AI oversight committee with defined authority and charter
  • Accountability matrix from intake to decommissioning

This structure provided consistent governance and alignment from top to bottom.

2. Unified Intake Gateway

To prevent shadow AI and ensure consistent application of standards, we introduced a centralized intake process:

  • Single entry point for all AI initiatives
  • Standardized intake forms documenting objectives, data sources, and explainability
  • Executive sponsorship and business case validation required
  • Initial risk pre-assessment (high/medium/low) based on regulatory, privacy, and complexity factors

This created end-to-end visibility and prioritized initiatives based on strategic relevance and risk.

3. Tiered Risk Assessment

We deployed a risk-calibrated governance approach to avoid both over-control and blind spots:

  • Three-tier risk classification framework
  • Separate tracks for POC vs. Production environments
  • Defined human-in-the-loop (HITL) protocols
  • Graduated controls mapped to each risk level
  • Reassessment mechanisms as models evolved

The framework ensured the right level of oversight at the right time — from experimentation to deployment.

4. Implementation Management

To integrate governance into the delivery lifecycle, we introduced:

  • Vendor management protocols with contractual requirements around testing, transparency, and explainability
  • Model documentation standards (model cards, metadata, lineage)
  • Automated testing for bias, drift, and vulnerabilities
  • Rollback and fallback mechanisms
  • Knowledge transfer and structured training across teams

These controls provided consistency and continuity through every phase of delivery.

⚠️ Important to Note

For large-scale AI initiatives, every team involved should have a clear AI addendum in place. Risk assessments must be completed before implementation begins. When working with large enterprises, it’s essential to call out legal boundaries, responsibilities, and governance considerations early — especially in transformation programs.

5. Lifecycle Monitoring & Incident Response

Post-deployment, AI models were continuously monitored and managed through:

  • Real-time anomaly detection
  • Model versioning and recertification schedules
  • Defined end-of-life triggers and retirement protocols
  • AI-specific incident response frameworks with escalation paths, customer notifications, and root cause analysis
  • Feedback loops and retraining schedules

This ensured every model remained performant, fair, and accountable.

6. Value Realisation and Compliance Confidence

Governance wasn’t treated as a cost — it was positioned as an enabler of value, safety, and speed.

Quantifying the Impact

The bank saw measurable improvements across four key domains:

✅ Risk Reduction

Metric Result
AI-related incidents ↓ 30%
Regulatory findings Zero
Early detection of issues ↑ 22%

⚡ Time-to-Market

Metric Result
Avg. approval cycle time 4.3 weeks
Fast-track approvals (low risk) 82%
Rework and delays Significantly reduced

🔒 Compliance Confidence

Metric Result
Governance documentation coverage 96%
Audit-readiness rating Satisfactory
AI-related regulatory violations Zero

🌱 Innovation with Control

Metric Result
Approval-to-rejection ratio 3.2:1
Business unit framework adoption 85%
Model inventory documentation 100%

Operational Insights

Strategic Learnings:

  • A centralized intake gateway was key to preventing fragmentation and maintaining governance consistency.
  • Executive sponsorship requirements ensured business alignment and stakeholder buy-in.
  • A principle-based framework helped the bank stay ahead of regulatory evolution.

Implementation Best Practices:

  • Clear vendor responsibility boundaries simplified third-party governance.
  • Specialized legal training closed critical gaps in contract governance.
  • Targeted stakeholder education accelerated adoption across business functions.

Final Takeaway

This initiative proved that governance, when done right, can accelerate innovation instead of slowing it down. By embedding risk-calibrated controls into every phase — from intake to monitoring — the bank was able to scale AI safely, ethically, and with full regulatory confidence.

As AI regulations tighten globally, frameworks like this are not just best practice — they’re business-critical.

Tags

Corporate Banking

Regulatory Compliance

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