Digitalisation & Innovation

How we Govern Technology

Our digital agenda is led and enabled by the Group Technology Division, with oversight from the Group Transformation Committee on strategic initiatives and the Board on key strategic matters. The Group Technology Division provides quarterly updates to the Group Operational and Resiliency Risk Committee and bi-monthly updates to the Board Risk and Compliance Committee.​

At the operational level, technology governance includes policies and guidelines, risk controls, quality assurance and audit management to ensure compliance with internal policies and procedures. We adhere to Financial Services Industry Standards and local regulatory requirements in the countries where we operate, including those related to technology risk management.​

How we use Artificial Intelligence

AI is increasingly shaping how financial institutions operate, make decisions and serve customers. Across the industry, AI is being applied to credit decisioning, customer engagement, fraud detection and operational processes, helping to improve efficiency, consistency and service quality. At the same time, the growing use of AI raises important considerations around fairness, transparency, accountability and trust — particularly when automated tools influence outcomes for customers and employees, or inform credit assessments, fraud detection and other risk-related decisions.

How we Govern Data and AI

CIMB actively explores and applies emerging technologies such as AI to improve operational efficiency and support data-driven decision-making. The adoption of AI is guided by the Group’s Technology Risk Management Framework and AI Governance Framework. This framework supports the safe assessment, design and deployment of AI solutions while protecting corporate and customer data. They are complemented by supporting policies, including the Emerging Technology Risk Policy, the AI Governance and Model Risk policies, as well as Data Protection and Management policies. Together, these policies provide structured oversight as we expand the use of AI across the Group, strengthening risk management while enabling responsible innovation.

Oversight of data and AI usage is provided by the Group Data and AI Governance Committee, jointly chaired by Group Data and AI and Group Risk’s senior management. The committee oversees the application of data and AI across CIMB’s products, systems and processes, ensuring responsible and consistent use aligned with the principles of fairness, explainability, transparency, reliability and accuracy. The committee meets six times a year to deliberate on and agree CIMB’s position on emerging AI issues. It complements existing risk and management committees rather than replacing them, with all AI-related proposals and issues continuing to follow existing governance and approval processes through the relevant risk and product committees.

This oversight is further supported by existing security and privacy frameworks across the Group. The AI Governance Framework draws on input from the Group’s various product, risk and technology committees, with issues addressed either through these forums or through dedicated working groups. Matters of significance are reported to the Group Executive Committee and, as appropriate, escalated to the relevant risk committees.

CIMB Statement on Responsible AI

As a leading regional bank, CIMB recognises that the responsible use of AI is essential to maintaining stakeholder confidence and supporting technology-driven innovation that delivers positive outcomes. Our adoption of AI is guided by global and regional principles that promote responsible, ethical and human-centred application of technology. AI must support sound decision-making, fair treatment and appropriate human oversight, while remaining transparent to users and reinforcing trust in the financial system as AI becomes more deeply embedded in financial services.

In 2026, CIMB developed a Statement on Responsible AI that outlines our approach to the responsible use, governance and management of AI. The Statement sets out the principles and expectations that guide how AI is used across the organisation, while supporting innovation, accountability and stakeholder trust. This Statement was endorsed by CIMB Management through the Group Sustainability Committee and approved by the Board Group Sustainability Committee.

Read our Statement on Responsible AI here. 

Responsible AI in Practice

CIMB has implemented a range of operational controls and initiatives to support the responsible use of AI across the Group.
 

• Limiting access to sensitive AI capabilities (e.g., facial recognition, surveillance). CIMB implements strict access controls to sensitive AI technologies that could pose ethical or privacy concerns, such as facial recognition and biometric technologies. Access is limited to authorised personnel for approved business purposes.
• Distinct labelling of AI-generated content and outcomes of AI-driven decisions. CIMB promotes transparency in the use of AI by providing appropriate disclosures or disclaimers to indicate when content has been generated using AI. This helps users understand the nature and source of information. Examples include AI-enabled chatbot responses, selected marketing content and informing users when they are interacting with an AI system rather than a human.
• Mechanisms to detect and correct drift or degradation of AI models over time. AI models are subject to lifecycle management and performance monitoring. Existing governance and review processes support the identification and management of performance deterioration, model drift and other reliability concerns. Models are reviewed and monitored as part of ongoing governance processes to support continued effectiveness and reliability.
• Regular assessments of deployed AI models for fairness/bias. CIMB mitigates the risk of unfair or discriminatory outcomes by prohibiting the use of protected or sensitive attributes, such as race, religion, political beliefs and gender, in AI solutions. AI use cases that may influence decisions of customers are evaluated to mitigate any biases and ensure fair and equitable outcomes. Fairness is also a core principle within CIMB’s AI Governance Framework and is further reinforced through regulations such as Bank Negar Malaysia’s Fair Treatment of Financial Consumers (FTFC) policy.  
• Appeals process for users/ affected third parties to contest an AI decision or outcome. CIMB’s existing inquiry, feedback and complaint management channels provide customers and affected parties with avenues to seek clarification, raise concerns or request further review where AI has been used in delivering a product, service or outcome. These channels support the timely escalation and resolution of issues raised by customers and stakeholders.
• Training of employees on the ethical use and/or security of AI.  CIMB provides training sessions on the use of AI which do not just focus on the capabilities of said AI tools but also emphasise how to use AI responsibly,  especially with regard to privacy and confidentiality.