Staying compliant in the financial sector used to involve massive internal teams, hiring expensive consultants, and scrambling to keep up with shifting regulatory landscapes. Today, even though the latter aspect has not changed, compliance has become a technology problem—and that is a good thing.
Managing compliance in the past was a reactive, slow, and costly process, but the advent of automation and AI Agents is paving the way for a faster, more scalable, and efficient approach: Compliance as a Service.
This approach proposes turning to AI instead of relying on consultants to dig through mountains of documentation, conduct gap analyses, or piece together reports over several weeks, often at high cost. As the financial services industry relies more and more on technology, regulations can become increasingly complex, but AI offers an opportunity: the opportunity to keep up with the pace in a smarter way.
Bringing AI Intelligence to Regulatory Complexity
The EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is designed to ensure that financial institutions can withstand—and bounce back from—IT disruptions. Whether it’s a simple system glitch, human error, infrastructure failure, or a full-on cyber attack, banks and financial firms need to prove they’re ready, underlining the importance of the financial sector’s digital operational resilience.
The use of Agentic AI allows the offering of Compliance as a Service so that financial entities are always ready to pass a DORA audit. Instead of costly teams of consultants taking weeks to find faults in compliance, AI can conduct 24/7 gap analyses. Instead of reactive fixes, there is now continuous monitoring of operational resilience through digital agents automatically, in real time, and at a fraction of the cost. Instead of panicking for short-term notices like a change in a regulation, businesses will see things coming down the pipe with clear vision.
Essentially, this goes beyond automation. It reflects a broader shift in mindset—one where compliance becomes a living capability, embedded into day-to-day operations, and treated as a strategic function rather than a bureaucratic necessity. Companies deploying Agentic AI are beginning to see tangible benefits, including:
- A 30% or greater reduction in compliance costs
- A transparent and auditable regulatory posture by design
- Internal teams freed to focus on growth instead of governance
- Increased confidence from customers and regulators in their resilience, not just their paperwork
Banks don’t need to choose between effectiveness and efficiency anymore. With AI, they can have both.
Closing the Compliance Gap with Human-AI Collaboration
Of course, the AI approach does not eliminate the need for a human in the loop, who is essential to validating data and supervising processes so that financial entities can be completely confident. While AI does all the intricate work, like combing through documents and checking against best practices, humans ensure the insights are interpreted in context, aligned to business goals, and acted on responsibly. Here’s what makes it different:
- It pulls in live updates from the regulator via a third-party monitor, ensuring that the resilience model remains aligned with the latest DORA requirements, which often change weekly.
- It scans internal resilience data—potentially encompassing thousands of documents, systems, and reports—and compares it to the current regulatory framework.
- It performs continuous gap analysis, identifying potential issues before they escalate into problems.
- Beyond detection, it recommends actions ranging from immediate fixes to long-term strategic improvements.
- As an Agentic system, it supports natural language interaction, allowing users to ask questions, explore compliance details, and gain clear explanations of strengths and gaps within the current model.
The financial sector is witnessing a paradigm shift in compliance management through the power of AI. Compliance as a Service, driven by Agentic AI, is revolutionizing how financial institutions approach regulatory challenges. By offering continuous monitoring, real-time gap analysis, and proactive problem-solving, this technology-driven approach not only reduces costs but also enhances operational resilience. The synergy between AI capabilities and human expertise creates a robust compliance framework that can adapt swiftly to regulatory changes. As the financial landscape continues to evolve, embracing AI-driven compliance solutions will be crucial for institutions aiming to stay ahead of regulatory demands while focusing on growth and innovation.
Globant has developed an AI-driven solution built specifically for the financial sector. It aims to automate compliance and reduce the operational load of staying audit-ready. It leverages Agentic AI to continuously monitor resilience, adapt to regulatory updates like DORA, and surface meaningful, actionable insights. Designed to integrate with existing systems and processes, it enables financial institutions to keep pace with regulatory complexity while minimizing the overhead associated with traditional approaches. So, instead of scrambling when something falls out of place, teams gain early visibility and confidence. The AI agent stays on top of it, keeping organizations resilient, audit-ready, and ahead of the curve. Learn more about Globant’s AI-enabled solutions for the financial services industry here.
