AI vs. Agility: Can Regulation Keep Pace with Risk?

At Risk Evolve, Kristina Hannah, Head of Regulatory Controls at Lloyds Bank, offers a candid view into the realities of managing regulatory risk in a fast-changing environment. She explains how her team uses horizon scanning as a foundational practice to stay ahead of regulatory developments—an increasingly complex task in a tech-saturated world. Although tools like AI are being tested to streamline this work, she stresses that regulatory application still depends on institutional knowledge and human judgment.

Cost remains a central tension. While compliance is non-negotiable, Hanna emphasizes the need to implement regulatory measures in ways that are both cost-effective and context-specific. Institutions of different sizes face different constraints, but all must find that balance between operational efficiency and mandatory adherence.

She challenges the notion of agility in compliance, suggesting that while firms want to respond quickly to regulatory changes, there are structural and procedural realities that limit how agile they can truly be. Embedding new frameworks and controls takes time, and shortcuts risk misalignment with regulators.

Finally, Hannah underscores that sustainability in compliance comes from strong, end-to-end frameworks where compliance teams play a central role. Effective collaboration, institutional awareness, and pragmatic implementation are the real differentiators in building long-term resilience.