BNY Mellon Joins with Financial Industry to Promote AI and Data Analytics

BNY Mellon, a global leader in investment management and investment services, announced that it has joined with other financial industry market participants to create a framework for financial institutions to promote the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence and data analytics (AIDA).

The framework, known as Veritas, will enable financial institutions to evaluate their AIDA-driven solutions against the principles of fairness, ethics, accountability and transparency (FEAT) that the Monetary Authority of Singapore co-created with the financial industry last year to strengthen internal governance around the application of AI and the management and use of data.

This effort was announced by Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat in a speech this week rolling out a national strategy on artificial intelligence intended to transform Singapore’s economy and improve the lives of its people.

“With the prevalence of artificial intelligence and data analytics across financial services, it is essential that we ensure we continue to do the right thing for our clients, the industry and regulators. As an early adopter of these advanced technologies and a provider of critical infrastructure for the world’s financial markets, we believe we can play a significant role in helping to validate the FEAT principles systemically,” said Hans Brown, Global Head of Innovation, BNY Mellon.

BNY Mellon has been working with the Veritas consortium and wider community to identify, categorize and refine the use cases that will serve as the starting point for this effort, as well as engaging the broader financial services ecosystem to accelerate its execution.

“I welcome BNY Mellon’s partnership and contribution to the Veritas consortium. Veritas aims to provide financial institutions with a verifiable way to incorporate FEAT principles into their AI solutions. BNY Mellon has strong engagements in Asia driving digital initiatives, and is able to support the consortium through sharing its knowledge and expertise,” said Dr. David Hardoon, Special Advisor (AI), Monetary Authority of Singapore.

BNY Mellon’s participation in the Veritas consortium reflects its continuing commitment to being a leader in Singapore’s vibrant and emerging fintech and innovative technology environment. The company, which established a Singapore presence in 1974, has continued to grow its influence in the region – including the opening of its Singapore Innovation Center in 2016.

This follows the recent news that BNY Mellon has joined the ASEAN Financial Innovation Network (AFIN), which was established in 2018 to facilitate innovation and cooperation between financial institutions and fintechs in an effort to digitally transform the banking and financial sectors across southeast Asia to ultimately drive financial inclusion.

The announcement comes as BNY Mellon’s Executive Committee is arriving in Singapore to host a number of employee and client activities, reaffirming the company’s commitment to building its presence in the region. BNY Mellon’s Head of Digital, Roman Regelman, and Hans Brown participated in this week’s Singapore Fintech Festival on panels discussing enterprise digital transformation and financial services innovation, with Roman presenting the ASEAN SME Fintech awards to three startups. More than 200 visitors from 126 companies were expected to visit the company’s Singapore Innovation Center to learn about the company’s innovation journey and participated in panel discussions on women in innovation and unbiased artificial intelligence.