AIR in the News

March 2025 — Regulatory innovation faces challenges like limited resources and risk aversion. This blog discusses strategies for change, including ecosystem collaboration, knowledge sharing, and embracing experimentation.

March 2025 — AIR hosted a public call for papers to stimulate thought leadership in the financial ecosystem regarding GenAI. The three winning papers reimagined consumer financial protection, explored ethical frameworks and sought to balance innovation and risk for KYC onboarding.

January 2025 — 2025 will bring the convergence of huge currents of change in financial regulation, especially with the arrival of the second Trump administration. Will the year launch “Regulation 2.0” — a new tech-based model for doing regulatory work?

January 2025 — Explore how network-based defense and AI-driven solutions can revolutionize financial crime prevention by fostering collaboration among institutions, regulators, and consumers. Discover actionable strategies for overcoming regulatory, technological, and organizational barriers to build a unified, data-driven approach to combating fraud and financial crime.

January 2025 — AIR is dedicated to playing its part in the global fight against fraud, including the growing challenge of digital payment fraud. As part of this effort, AIR hosted a virtual TechSprint focused on detecting and combating digital payment fraud in West Africa.

December 2024 — This paper, produced in partnership with Gattaca Horizons LLC, aims to provide a comprehensive review of earned wage access (EWA) services, their potential to mitigate harms associated with certain traditional financial products, and the unique challenges they pose.

October 2024 — AIR and Google Cloud jointly released this paper exploring how model risk management (MRM) frameworks and established governance practices can be applied to manage risks for financial institutions in gen AI contexts.

September 2024 — This paper underscores the essential role Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) play in supporting marginalized communities, while offering a road map for these institutions to navigate their technological shortcomings and remain competitive in the digital financial services landscape.

September 2024 — This brief is a companion to the white paper titled “A Purposeful Journey into Digitization: Lessons Learned from the MDI Digital Modernization Pilot & ConnectTech Programs.” It outlines key actions stakeholders can take to help advance solutions and further support MDIs in their digital transformation journey.

July 2024 — Written by AIR CIO Nick Cook, this white paper aims to offer strategic guidance, technology insights, and advocate for cultural and organizational adaptation within financial regulatory bodies to embrace digital transformation.

June 17, 2024 — Finding solutions to help minority depository institutions (MDIs) thrive was the central theme of AIR’s high-powered conference, “MDI Innovate: A Purposeful Journey into Digitization,” which took place May 2nd in Washington, D.C.

May 13, 2024 — AIR partnered with the Aspen Institute to convene two roundtables in March 2024 with a cross-section of digital identity experts. This brief summarizes the dialogue and next steps, and extends an invitation to engage with this work.

March 20, 2024 — Authored by AIR Senior Advisor and former global regulator F. Christopher Calabia, this paper examines the transformative potential and risks associated with the deployment of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in the financial services sector.

September 9, 2023 — Like all small financial providers, Minority Depository Institutions face a challenging environment staying competitive in the digital era. Through a program developed by AIR, the National Bankers Association and Inclusiv, some MDIs are upping their digital game.

August 21, 2023 — By as early as 2030, generative AI and other innovations will likely spur huge compliance improvements that result in faster data processing, better risk management and other dramatic benefits, Jo Ann Barefoot wrote in ABA Risk and Compliance Magazine.

August 11, 2023 — In this op-ed published by American Banker’s BankThink, AIR CEO Jo Ann Barefoot argues that regulators should digitize the call reporting process to gain a real-time understanding of banks’ status.

June 14, 2023 — The paper argues that MRM guidance, given its broad, principles-based approach, continues to provide an appropriate framework for assessing financial institutions’ management of model risk, even for Risk AI/ML models.

June 13, 2023 — The article, released with the National Bankers Association and Visa Economic Empowerment Institute, lays out a case for using a shared-technology model to help Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) enhance digital capability and product offerings.

May 4, 2023 — Industry innovation is moving exponentially, creating new risks. Financial regulatory agencies must respond proactively to the digital transformation if they want to avert crises, AIR CEO Jo Ann Barefoot writes in an article for the Journal of Financial Transformation.

August 11, 2022 — AIR held the first of multiple TechSprints on new technologies to shine a light on global corruption. The events, held in concert with the State and Treasury departments, grew out of a Biden administration initiative to promote democracy.

June 30, 2022 — In an expanded edition of the Board Risk Report published by the Board Risk Committee, AIR co-founder Jo Ann Barefoot explores the risks and opportunities of cryptocurrency and blockchains that corporate boards should consider. 

June 29, 2022 — AIR was a partner with India’s Reserve Bank Innovation Hub on a tech competition and ideas forum exploring digital financial services solutions for women’s economic advancement.

June 15, 2022 — The Alliance of Innovative Regulation launched in mid-2019 with a small, devoted staff and a huge mission. Since then, the organization has more than tripled in size, facilitated digital regulatory solutions and fostered a global conversation about digitizing financial oversight.

June 6, 2022 — In an op-ed published by American Banker’s BankThink, Alliance for Innovative Regulation co-founder Jo Ann Barefoot makes the case for bank regulators to seize the opportunity to overhaul their digital capacity.

May 24, 2022 — In a paper published by the Brookings Institution, Alliance for Innovative Regulation co-founder Jo Ann Barefoot lays out multiple use cases for government agencies to use artificial intelligence to power their innovation strategies.

May 19, 2022 — A review of years of studies shows that organizations favoring diverse thinking, staff heterogeneity and inclusiveness formulate and execute the best new ideas. Written by AIR’s Nick Cook. 

April 26, 2022 — AIR is proud to join The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program (FSP) and a coalition of over 30 financial and tech companies and nonprofits calling for the Treasury Department to establish a Presidential Commission to create a national, interagency financial inclusion strategy.

April 21, 2022 — The Paypers Financial Crime and Fraud Report for 2022 features an article written by AIR CEO Jo Ann Barefoot. Download the full report to find out latest insights into how to build trust, manage risk and fight financial crime.

December 15, 2021 — The fundamental question facing financial regulators when they consider the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in banking is this: Do the rewards outweigh the risks? That’s doubly true when those tools are used to underwrite consumer loans.

July 28, 2021 — Governments have been grappling with the challenge of how to regulate new and rapidly expanding industries while safeguarding against potential risks ever since technological change first accompanied the Industrial Revolution. In the 18th and 19th centuries…

May 6, 2021 — Article by Jo Ann Barefoot published by the Penn Program on Regulation of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Financial regulation is entering the digital age, converting tools and strategies from analog to digital design. In the next decade, this transformation will reach critical mass and do for regulation what digitization does for everything else—make it better, faster, and cheaper.

March 29, 2021 — Looking back at the unprecedented events of the past year, policymakers are sure to note the remarkable power of technology, both to do good and to fuel destructive forces. They should also recognize their authority to…

August 19, 2020 — In many smaller American towns banks and credit unions are finding usual sources of loan demand dwindling — and that was before the COVID-19 recession. Community banking institutions may find trouble if they market their credit…

July 30, 2020 — This episode of Hub Talks includes IFWG Chairperson Dr. Arif Ismail and special guests Sharmista Appaya, Senior Financial Sector Expert on Fintech at the World Bank, and Jo Ann Barefoot, CEO & Cofounder of the Alliance for Innovative Regulation, discussing “Women in Fintech” as part of our celebration of Women’s Month in August.

June 28, 2020 — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is moving to boost the way it monitors for risks at thousands of U.S. banks, potentially scrapping quarterly reports that have been a fixture of oversight for more than 150 years yet often contain stale data.

May 19, 2020 — The U.S. and governments around the world are considering all the ways to stimulate the economy in the face of COVID-19. While direct infusions of cash, loans and other incentives are critical to keeping business and workers afloat right now…

May 6, 2020 — Zach Anderson Pettet’s For Fintech’s Sake Podcast featuring Jo Ann Barefoot and David Ehrich

Fintech Solutions for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) — April 1, 2020

Recommendations for PPP Phase 2  — April 15, 2020

Expand ‘Infrastructure Investment’ to Include Technology  — April 30, 2020

March 10, 2020 — A Reconstruction-era law to rein in government spending is among many federal statutes preventing financial regulators from fully studying today’s cutting-edge financial technologies, according to a former Treasury official who wants to do something about it.

October 28, 2019 — Innovation in regulation once seemed like an oxymoron. But not anymore. Recently, regulators globally are building innovation agendas partly through a new tool — hackathon events called “tech sprints.” The events allow companies to live-test an…

October 24, 2019 — The rapid pace of technological change provides a breathtaking opportunity to challenge and change the world. We are moving toward a technology space that is swift, connected and digitized. This will not only reshape industries but also the regulatory frameworks around them.