Ben O'Brien

Mar 6, 2025 | finextra.com | Ben O'Brien

As we step into 2025, organisations are refining their risk strategies in response to evolving economic pressures, regulatory expectations, and technological advancements. To understand where companies are focusing their efforts, we spoke to our Risk consultants about the key trends shaping the year ahead. Here's what we found: With tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Copilot becoming mainstream, organisations are fine-tuning their AI policies to ensure safe and effective deployment.

Feb 20, 2025 | finextra.com | Ben O'Brien

As we reflect on the past year, it’s evident that 2024 presented both challenges and opportunities in risk management. In this post, we share key takeaways from the last year, offering insights that can help shape risk strategies for 2025. Predictive modelling continues to advance as businesses navigate increasingly complex lending landscapes. Unsurprisingly, it stands out as one of the major learnings from the past year.

Feb 18, 2025 | cherwell.org | Ben O'Brien

A US government-funded malaria vaccine trial led by the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford and involving Oxford student volunteers has been stopped without warning. The pause comes after US President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on payments from USAID, the US government’s international aid bureau. At least 42 students from Oxford and Oxford Brookes had already received varying doses of the experimental vaccine — the first time it had been tested on humans.

Feb 7, 2025 | finextra.com | Ben O'Brien

AI adoption in risk has reached a pivotal stage. According to our new Jaywing research, 65% of UK financial institutions have moved beyond exploration to active AI implementation. However, 36% still have no AI models in risk, leaving them increasingly vulnerable as the competitive gap widens. Early adopters are already reaping the rewards, reporting enhanced credit risk predictions, improved fraud detection, and operational efficiency gains.

Feb 7, 2025 | finextra.com | Ben O'Brien

Payment Service Providers (PSPs) are facing an uphill battle against financial crime. As transaction speeds increase and new payment methods emerge, criminals are exploiting weak spots in AML controls—often faster than traditional defences can respond. In 2023 alone, UK customers lost nearly £1.2 billion to financial crime, with £580 million lost to Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud in the first half of the year.