Skip to main content

Latest Posts

Read our most recent articles and insights

Regulatory Updates

Stay compliant with the latest regulatory changes

Best Practices

Expert guidance for AI adoption

How We Work

Our Approach to AI in Banking: Learn about our methodology, principles, and collaborative approach to implementing AI solutions in the Australian banking sector. Discover how we partner with financial institutions to ensure compliant, secure, and effective AI deployments.Explore our approach →

Recent Posts

November 2025

Published: November 20, 2025A comprehensive framework for Australian banking leaders navigating the journey from AI proof-of-concepts to scaled production systems. This guide addresses the critical question: “How do we move from scattered POCs to enterprise-wide deployment?”15 Frameworks Across Three Parts:Part I: Strategic Foundation
  • Business Requirements Documents: Articulating the “why” before technology selection
  • RICE-A Prioritization: Accounting for AI-specific complexity and regulatory requirements
  • Three-Journey Model: Experimentation (0-12 months), Integration (12-24 months), Transformation (24-36+ months)
  • Portfolio Strategy: Balancing 60-70% ground game initiatives, 20-30% roofshots, and 10% moonshots
Part II: Operational Excellence
  • Evaluation Methodology: Starting with minimum viable assessment
  • AI Safety Levels (ASL-1 through ASL-4): Proportional to risk exposure
  • CI/CD Pipelines: Versioning code, data, and models together
  • Model Risk Management: APRA CPS 230 compliance and regulatory adherence
Part III: Technical Architecture
  • Document Processing: Preserving structure and extracting tables
  • Embedding Selection: 768-1024 dimensions as the optimal sweet spot
  • Vector Database Benchmarking: Testing against specific workloads
  • Three-Stage RAG: Hybrid search, cross-encoder reranking, contextual embeddings
  • Agent Design: “Gather context → take action → verify → repeat” loops
  • Integration Patterns: Model Context Protocol implementation
Key Insights:
  • Only 1% of organizations achieve mature enterprise-wide AI deployment
  • Balance competing imperatives: speed vs. safety, ambition vs. realism, innovation vs. governance
  • Start with modest initiatives: document automation, knowledge retrieval, internal productivity tools
  • Maintain human oversight for credit decisions and customer-facing applications
Banking-Specific Considerations:
  • APRA CPS 230 compliance requirements
  • Privacy Act adherence and responsible lending obligations
  • Regulatory-compliant model validation and testing
  • Risk-proportionate AI safety controls
Read the full article on LinkedIn →

December 2024

Published: December 2024A technical field guide for Australian banking analysts conducting transaction monitoring remediation to meet AUSTRAC compliance requirements. This comprehensive framework provides production-ready tools and methodologies following major enforcement actions (CBA 700M,Westpac700M, Westpac 1.3B, Crown $450M).Core Remediation Approach: “Look Back + Fix Forward”
  • Retrospective analysis of historical transactions using improved detection logic
  • Implementation of sustainable controls to prevent future monitoring failures
  • Audit-ready documentation standards for regulatory scrutiny
36+ Production-Ready Detection Patterns:Fundamental AML Patterns (12 Queries)
  • Structuring: Transactions just below $10,000 AUD thresholds
  • Rapid movement through intermediary accounts
  • Dormant account reactivation with sudden activity
  • Just-in-time funding (mule account detection)
  • Smurfing and coordinated structuring
  • Customer deviation from established behavioral baselines
Industry-Specific Detection (16 Queries)
  • Banking: Correspondent banking and trade finance monitoring
  • Digital Currency: Crypto off-ramping and unregistered provider detection
  • Remittance: Hawala operations and shared beneficiary patterns
  • Casino: Integration patterns and third-party funding
  • Professional Services: Trust account velocity monitoring
  • Superannuation: Early release fraud detection
  • Bullion Trading: Suspicious transaction patterns
AUSTRAC Reporting Framework:
  • TTRs (Threshold Transaction Reports): Physical currency ≥$10,000 AUD
  • IFTIs (International Funds Transfer Instructions): All cross-border transfers
  • SMRs (Suspicious Matter Reports): 3 business day reporting requirement
90-Day Implementation Framework:
  • Days 1-30: Foundation building and data landscape mapping
  • Days 31-60: Execution with reusable template development
  • Days 61-90: Process optimization and automation deployment
Key Technical Features:
  • Advanced SQL optimization using window functions and batch processing
  • Pattern-based detection aligned with AUSTRAC typologies
  • Comprehensive documentation for audit readiness
  • Clear decision rationale for distinguishing false positives from genuine suspicious activity
Enforcement Lessons from Major Cases:
  • Anonymous ATM exploitation enabling structuring
  • Correspondent banking monitoring failures
  • Casino integration pattern detection gaps
Core Principle: “Effective remediation isn’t about analyzing every transaction independently—it’s about identifying patterns that indicate money laundering typologies recognized by AUSTRAC.”Read the full technical guide →

January 2025

Published: January 20, 2025As Australian banks continue to integrate AI systems, understanding CPS 230 compliance requirements becomes crucial. This comprehensive guide covers:
  • Operational risk management for AI systems
  • Third-party risk assessment frameworks
  • Business continuity planning with AI dependencies
  • Incident response procedures for AI-related failures
Key takeaways:
  • AI systems must be included in critical operations mapping
  • Regular stress testing of AI models is now mandatory
  • Documentation requirements have expanded to include AI decision-making processes
Read full article →
Published: January 15, 2025Business Continuity Planning (BCP) meetings generate vast amounts of sensitive data. Our latest analysis explores how AI can enhance meeting intelligence while maintaining strict privacy controls:
  • Automated risk identification from meeting transcripts
  • Real-time compliance monitoring during discussions
  • Privacy-preserving summarization techniques
  • Integration with existing BCP frameworks
Featured capabilities:
  • Speaker diarization with privacy masking
  • Automated action item extraction
  • Risk sentiment analysis
  • Regulatory keyword detection
Explore BCP Intelligence →
Published: January 10, 2025Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems are revolutionizing how banks handle regulatory queries. This technical deep-dive covers:
  • Architecture patterns for regulatory document ingestion
  • Vector database optimization for Australian financial regulations
  • Prompt engineering for compliance-specific responses
  • Evaluation frameworks for regulatory accuracy
Technical highlights:
  • Multi-modal document processing (PDF, HTML, structured data)
  • Citation tracking for audit trails
  • Confidence scoring for regulatory interpretations
  • Real-time regulation updates integration
View technical implementation →

Regulatory Updates

APRA Updates - January 2025Recent guidance from APRA regarding AI system governance and risk management:
  • Updated prudential standards for AI model validation
  • Enhanced reporting requirements for automated decision systems
  • New guidelines for third-party AI vendor management

Best Practices

Establishing robust governance for AI systems in bankingKey components:
  • Model risk management lifecycle
  • Validation and testing protocols
  • Performance monitoring and alerting
  • Explainability and audit requirements
Protecting customer data while leveraging AI capabilitiesEssential practices:
  • Privacy-by-design implementation
  • Data minimization strategies
  • Consent management for AI processing
  • Cross-border data transfer compliance
Managing third-party AI vendors and servicesCritical considerations:
  • Due diligence frameworks for AI vendors
  • Contractual requirements for AI services
  • Ongoing monitoring and assessment
  • Exit strategy planning

Subscribe to Updates

Stay informed about the latest developments in AI and Australian banking regulation:
Newsletter Signup: Get weekly updates on regulatory changes, technical insights, and industry best practices delivered to your inbox.Contact us at support@kohima.com to subscribe to our AI Banking Intelligence newsletter.

Categories

Articles focused on APRA, ASIC, and other regulatory requirements for AI in banking

Disclaimer: This blog by Kohima AI provides general guidance and insights for educational purposes. Always consult with your legal and compliance teams before implementing AI systems in regulated environments.
Last updated: August 18, 2025