Latest opinions that Alex Ford has shared on Finextra

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Alex Ford

President, North America and Chief Revenue Officer

Encompass | RegTech Association | Women in RegTech

Member since

29 Oct 2020

Location

New York

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Alex's opinions

AI in banking: From experiment to imperative

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly moving from isolated pilots to the core of banking strategy. Faced with margin pressures, rising compliance costs, and customer expectations shaped by digital-first industries, financial institutions are betting big on AI to drive efficiency and unlock growth. A recent HFS and Infosys study indicates that 20...

16 October 2025 /ai /crime Artificial Intelligence

The role of AI and data annotation in compliance innovation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to capture attention for its ability to transform financial services. From accelerating onboarding to improving anti-financial crime outcomes, AI is reshaping how banks and financial institutions operate. But behind the power of any AI initiative lies something less talked about, but equally important: data an...

16 July 2025 /ai /regulation

Build, buy, or blend? Rethinking KYC strategy in modern banking

For years, banks have debated whether to build their own Know Your Customer (KYC) systems or invest in third-party solutions. But that binary choice is evolving with a new opportunity emerging in the form of blended KYC. A hybrid approach offers the best of both worlds: the control and flexibility of in-house systems combined with the speed and aut...

30 June 2025 /regulation /identity

The role of digital identity in beneficial ownership verification

Financial institutions are rapidly evolving how they onboard clients and meet regulatory obligations, with digital transformation at the core. Nowhere is this shift more critical than in the need to accurately identify and verify beneficial ownership, a foundational element of effective Know Your Customer (KYC) practices. For banks, regulators, an...

25 June 2025 /regulation /identity

Maximizing the value of CLM transformation

Across the financial services industry, corporate banks are investing heavily in Client Lifecycle Management (CLM) transformation to accelerate onboarding, improve compliance, and deliver better client experiences. Yet, many institutions find that despite implementing new platforms and processes, they continue to struggle with onboarding delays, m...

23 May 2025 /identity /crime Banking Strategy, Digital and Transformation

Why operational leaders are rethinking KYC

Operational leaders face a stark reality: the onboarding experience has become a make-or-break moment not just for clients but also for the bank itself. Despite significant investment in transformation, many banks continue to struggle with outdated, manual Know Your Customer (KYC) processes that are fundamentally unfit for purpose. The result? Dela...

07 May 2025 /identity /crime

Regulating AI: Opening up the RegTech conversation

Regulating AI: Opening up the RegTech conversation with AI experts and regulators with Women In RegTech New York (WIRTNY) and Rise, by Barclays. Setting the scene As the development and adoption of AI and Generative AI across industries including financial services has dominated headlines in recent months, so too have questions around the regulato...

17 June 2024 /ai /regulation Artificial Intelligence and Financial Services

The rise of Corporate Digital Identity in banking

The rise of Corporate Digital Identity in banking Corporate Digital Identity (CDI) is revolutionizing the Client Experience in Institutional and Commercial banking. Enabling fast, accurate identity validation and verification of corporate customers, it has been set out to foster a truly customer-centric approach to client onboarding and reviews w...

28 March 2024 /wholesale /identity Banking Strategy, Digital and Transformation

Why RegTech won at SIBOS2023

Why RegTech won at SIBOS2023 Setting the scene Reflecting on this year’s SIBOS conference, organized by SWIFT for the financial services industry, it was great to be networking and debating the future of the industry in person again in the fantastic city of Toronto. C-suite executives from major financial institutions and leading technology compan...

04 October 2023 /regulation /sibos Banking

Can RegTech help address risk and regulatory challenges in a changing banking landscape?

As more banks concentrate on digital transformation to power growth and operational efficiency, the opportunity to simultaneously leverage technology to mitigate risk and promote transparency - particularly via RegTech solutions, is continuing to increase in relevance globally. This is a topic that I discussed as part of a panel of industry exper...

14 July 2023 /regulation /wholesale RegTech