Operational risk
WHAT IS THIS? Operational risks are those arising from people, processes and systems – the biggest form of exposure for many industries, but one that was neglected by financial firms until the collapse of Barings Bank in 1995. It was added to the Basel capital framework in 2004, but attempts to model operational risk were dealt a heavy blow by the huge, unforeseen losses suffered by banks in the aftermath of the financial crisis.
What happens when AI gets good at your risk management job?
Risk executive Alex Golbin asks how to build a valuable career in risk as agentic AI takes on more analysis
An expert-validated risk assessment framework for bank IT supply chain management
The authors propose and validate an expert-based risk assessment framework to manage IT supply chain risks in the banking sector.
Op risk data: Japanese restaurant payments firm swallows $700m loss
Also: Bank of Baroda fraud filing, Wells’ Ponzi woes, and Swedbank’s Panama Papers payout. Data by ORX News
Banks building GenAI governance in parallel to model risk
Risk Benchmarking: Majority have established AI governance committees, but ownership is fragmented
The evolution of operational risk scenario analysis
How structured scenario analysis paired with AI-enabled challenge can modernise banks’ op risk practices
Red alert: how Nasdaq’s Smarts became surveillance blind spot
Software that looks for shifty trades has been asleep on the job, affecting alerts for hundreds of products
Op risk data: Pentwater pays up for taking Avis shares for a spin
Also: Romania’s Robor cop gets tough on benchmark rigging; Wamco’s cherry-picking squashed. Data by ORX News
Operational risk measurement: integrating the amplification effects of reputational risk
This paper puts forward a means to measure operational risk losses which integrates reputational and operational risks.
From gatekeeper to coach: model risk bids to reinvent itself
Model Risk Benchmarking data reveals a function in flux, grappling with resource cuts, AI models, regulatory divergence
Anthropic curbs and cost fears spur banks to shop around for AI
Risk Live: Banks increasingly wary of reliance on US models amid uncertain geopolitical environment and mounting costs
Former MI6 chief urges AI slowdown
Risk Live: Other AI firms will be “in exactly the same space” as Anthropic’s Mythos, warns Moore
Break down silos to manage geopolitics – risk managers
Risk Live: Experts says scenario planning helps identify who has information needed in a crisis
AI autonomy may redefine risk management roles
Risk Live: Machine validation of autonomous processes may emerge “relatively soon”, EIF risk chief says
Banks insure against cyber risk, but rarely claim
Risk Benchmarking study finds big banks aggressively negotiating on cost of cover, and seeking offsets to Pillar 2 capital
Four in five banks use AI to manage op risks
Risk Benchmarking: Cyber risk use cases growing; governance and ROI doubts give some pause
Build, or buy: banks still don’t love their GRC vendors
Risk Benchmarking study finds a record number of firms reviewing tech provision for top op risks, amid touted wave of AI-led self-builds
EU banks welcome high-risk systems breather from delay in AI act
But chatbot transparency still applies from August, requiring deployers to disclose use to customers
On cyber risk, tech debt is big banks’ top challenge
Risk Benchmarking: Fragmented stacks make identifying vulnerabilities harder; manual workarounds increase human errors
Half of banks use scenarios to set third-party Pillar 2 capital
Risk Benchmarking study finds resilience risk less widely covered than cyber and IT disruption, but more formalised where scenarios exist
Portway leaves Barclays, destination unknown
Group operational risk head departs after 14 years at firm
Second line seeks to stamp its authority on AI risk
Risk Benchmarking study finds fragmented accountability for AI risk among banks, and most are short of controls to contain it