The Boardroom · 2026-07-08

Regulators are watching how your systems treat vulnerable customers — AI-driven account management is next in the crosshairs

by Paul Bappoo

When the System Is the Problem, Not the Person

The Financial Conduct Authority has found that major UK banks were systematically directing vulnerable customers away from basic bank accounts — the no-frills accounts that those customers are legally entitled to access. According to BBC News reporting on the FCA's findings, the failures were not primarily about rogue staff making bad decisions. They were baked into incentive structures and system defaults.

That distinction matters enormously. And it should make any board with AI in its customer-facing operations sit up.

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