The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has drawn a clearer regulatory line around the use of artificial intelligence in financial services. On 7 October 2026, the regulator published its Guidelines on Artificial Intelligence Risk Management, establishing supervisory expectations for financial institutions using AI, from traditional machine-learning models to Generative AI and increasingly autonomous AI agents. The guidelines follow a public consultation launched in November 2025 and will begin taking effect on 7 October 2027.
AI is increasingly moving beyond chatbots and productivity tools into areas that can influence financial decisions, customer interactions, compliance, risk management and potentially execution itself. MAS specifically warns that AI agents with access to tools could autonomously perform erroneous or unauthorised actions. It also identifies financial, operational, conduct, financial crime and reputational risks arising from AI, alongside security, privacy and third-party risks associated particularly with Generative AI.
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A Framework Built Around Risk, Not a Ban on AI
The framework is not designed to slow the adoption of AI. Its central idea is proportionality. MAS expects financial institutions to understand where AI is being used, determine how important and risky each application is, and then apply controls that match that risk. A tool used to proofread an internal email clearly does not require the same controls as an AI model influencing investment recommendations or customer risk assessments.
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This distinction is important when considering whether the framework is "mandatory". These are guidelines setting out MAS' supervisory expectations, rather than a standalone piece of legislation imposing identical technical requirements on every company. Yet regulated firms should not interpret this as optional guidance. MAS states that all financial institutions should adhere to its high-level expectations when deploying AI, while implementation should be proportionate to their size, activities and AI risk exposure. The guidelines also complement existing MAS requirements and principles, including Fairness, Ethics, Accountability and Transparency, known as FEAT.
| MAS AI Guidelines: Implementation Timeline | |
| Date | Requirements |
| November 2025 | Public consultation launched |
| 7 October 2026 | AI guidelines published |
| 7 October 2027 | AI oversight, risk management and policies |
| 7 October 2028 | AI lifecycle controls, capabilities and infrastructure |
This gives firms roughly one year to establish the core governance layer and another year to complete the broader operational framework. MAS has also said that it intends to consult the industry in 2027 on whether further guidance specifically addressing agentic AI would be useful.
Who Needs to Follow the Guidelines?
The scope is broad. MAS says the guidelines apply to all financial institutions and all forms of AI technology. The categories listed by the regulator include banks, fund managers, financial advisers, insurers, payment institutions, exchanges, clearing houses, custodians, credit rating agencies and firms dealing in capital markets products. Exempt futures and OTC derivatives brokers are also explicitly included among the categories covered.
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