Senior Manager - Strategy & Planning

FIS Launches ai-powered AML Investigations Agent to slash bank compliance costs. FIS has commercially released its AML Investigations Agent to all U.S. banks, aiming to automate the manual data assembly that currently consumes more than half of financial crime investigation time. For fintech professionals, this represents a critical move toward "agentic" AI that integrates directly with core banking and payments infrastructure to reduce massive compliance overhead. What was announced. FIS has launched its AML Investigations Agent for general commercial use across the U.S. banking sector. Originally announced as a joint project with Anthropic in May 2026, the agent is now available to any U.S.-based bank, regardless of whether they currently use FIS core banking services. The solution is designed to automate the data-gathering phase of anti-money laundering (AML) investigations, a process that currently consumes between 40 and 60 percent of an analyst's time, according to 2025 data from AnChain.AI. The agent operates within the FIS Trust Assured framework, utilizing Anthropic's Claude models in a private cloud environment. It maps customer-specific context - such as historical behavior and expected activity - against alerts to distinguish between routine transactions and high-risk anomalies. According to analysis from design partner Amalgamated Bank, where the agent is currently being deployed, the tool is projected to reduce Level 1 alert review times by over 90 percent and Level 2 case investigation times by approximately 98 percent. Furthermore, the time required to prepare Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) narratives is expected to drop by more than 80 percent. To ensure regulatory compliance, the system maintains a complete audit trail through the FIS Control Plane, linking every recommendation to its source document and keeping human analysts in final command of all decisions. "AML investigations require comprehensive evidence and experienced judgment. The FIS AML Investigations Agent can reduce time spent gathering information and preparing documentation, allowing investigators to focus on complex cases and critical decisions. Each recommendation has a clear audit trail, while the investigator remains accountable for the final determination. In regulated environments, AI must strengthen human expertise while preserving trust and governance," Sean Searby, Chief Information & Operations Officer, Amalgamated Bank The companies involved. FIS (Fidelity National Information Services) is a major player in the global financial technology sector, listed on the NYSE. The company provides the underlying core banking, payments, and data infrastructure that many financial institutions rely on for daily operations. With over 100 previous reports from FF News, FIS has established itself as a central figure in the modernization of banking systems. Anthropic, an AI safety and research company, is the developer behind the Claude family of large language models. The firm has rapidly become a preferred partner for enterprise-level AI deployments, particularly in highly regulated industries where governance and safety are paramount. FF News has tracked Anthropic's growth across 50 previous stories, noting its increasing influence in both the UK and US markets. Amalgamated Bank served as the design partner for this specific AML initiative. As a financial institution itself, Amalgamated provided the real-world investigation workflows and transaction data necessary to calibrate the agent, and it is currently the first institution to deploy the technology in a live environment. What FF News has reported before. FF News has closely followed the expansion of agentic AI within the financial sector. In October 2026, Ascento Capital covered how FIS Launches Agentic AI Suite to Revolutionize Cash Flow Forecasting for CFOs, a move that signaled the company's broader strategy to integrate AI into core financial workflows. During the same period, Anthropic's market presence was highlighted when Workday Unveils Agentic AI Revolution: C1.ai Acquisition and Anthropic Partnership Lead Rising 2026. Its reporting has also touched on Anthropic's competitive positioning, notably how Anthropic Overtakes OpenAI in UK Small Business AI Spending Surge. Additionally, the firm's enterprise reach was further evidenced when Hexaware and Anthropic Forge Multi-Year Partnership to Scale Claude AI for Global Enterprises. What this means. The commercial availability of the FIS AML Investigations Agent marks a significant shift from generative AI as a conversational tool to "agentic" AI that performs labor-intensive tasks within regulated environments. By targeting the "manual evidence assembly" phase, FIS is addressing the primary bottleneck in compliance - the 40 to 60 percent of time analysts spend gathering data rather than analyzing it. This puts immense pressure on legacy AML software providers who rely on traditional rules-based systems. The success of this rollout will likely hinge on whether the projected 90 percent reduction in review times can be sustained across diverse banking environments without compromising regulatory standards for human accountability. Featured speakers.

Payments Therapist expands PCI compliance practice, appoints former FIS Vice President Wes Shattler to lead new services. The payments consulting firm brings senior-level industry expertise to growing fintech companies through two specialized programs focused on PCI assessment readiness and continuous governance. St Petersburg, FL, October 14, 2026 -( PR.com )- Payments Therapist, a specialized payments consulting firm, announces the addition of former FIS Vice President Wes Shattler to spearhead its expanded PCI compliance practice, introducing a comprehensive approach to helping fintech companies navigate the operational and technical complexities of payment security. Shattler joins the firm as Senior Partner, PCI Services, bringing extensive enterprise-level cybersecurity, risk management, and compliance experience to the firm's expanding practice. His appointment supports Payments Therapist's investment in specialized PCI leadership and its ability to help clients manage increasingly complex compliance responsibilities. To address the growing need for dedicated compliance leadership, the expansion introduces two complementary service offerings, PCI Governance as a Service and Handling Your First PCI Assessment. Together, these programs provide organizations with experienced guidance through formal assessment preparation and ongoing compliance management. The initiative primarily serves growing fintech companies, payment facilitators (PayFacs), independent software vendors (ISVs), and registered independent sales organizations (ISOs) seeking to strengthen their PCI programs while managing the demands of business growth. Bringing Experienced Leadership to an Increasingly Complex Compliance Environment For organizations operating within the payments ecosystem, PCI compliance requires coordination across multiple departments, systems, and external partners. As businesses grow, changes in technology, payment infrastructure, vendor relationships, and operational processes can introduce additional responsibilities that require ongoing oversight. Despite these demands, many organizations continue to manage PCI through periodic assessment preparation, with responsibilities distributed across security, engineering, compliance, and executive leadership. This fragmented approach can lead to inconsistent documentation, unclear accountability, delayed remediation, and significant disruption as assessment deadlines approach. Shattler's appointment is intended to help address these challenges by bringing experienced payments-industry leadership directly into the management of client PCI programs. Shattler brings more than 25 years of cybersecurity, risk management, and compliance leadership, including extensive experience managing enterprise-scale assurance programs. During his career, he has supported more than 500 PCI assessments and compliance initiatives and served three consecutive terms on the PCI Security Standards Council Board of Advisors. His experience combines industry standards leadership with practical expertise in managing complex security and compliance programs, giving him an understanding of the relationship between payment technology, operational execution, compliance obligations, and organizational accountability. His role at Payments Therapist will include helping clients establish governance structures, coordinate internal stakeholders, prepare for assessments, organize compliance evidence, and maintain consistent oversight of PCI responsibilities. "PCI compliance touches nearly every part of a payments organization, yet the responsibility for managing it is often spread across teams that already have demanding priorities," says Shattler. "Our objective is to bring those responsibilities together under a coordinated program that gives organizations greater visibility, clearer accountability, and a more sustainable approach to compliance." Introducing PCI Governance as a Service At the center of the expanded practice is PCI Governance as a Service, an ongoing engagement model that provides organizations with dedicated program leadership and coordination throughout the year. The service addresses a common operational challenge: maintaining the policies, evidence, documentation, control ownership, and remediation activities required to support an effective PCI program between formal assessments. Rather than relying on periodic preparation efforts, Payments Therapist helps clients establish processes that integrate compliance responsibilities into their regular business operations. The program includes ongoing coordination with internal stakeholders, tracking outstanding requirements, maintaining compliance documentation, coordinating and tracking remediation activities, and preparing for interactions with Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs). For growing fintech companies, this model provides access to specialized PCI leadership without requiring them to independently build and maintain an equivalent internal governance function. It also helps organizations reduce the operational burden placed on technical and executive teams during assessment periods. "Many businesses have capable technical and compliance teams, but no single person responsible for keeping the entire PCI program moving throughout the year," says Jason Kafer, founder of Payments Therapist. "As the payments industry continues to evolve, we're seeing a demand for specialized expertise that helps organizations manage increasingly complex requirements. Expanding our PCI practice and bringing Wes onto our leadership team allows us to address that demand with the kind of senior-level experience and hands-on support that defines our consulting model, connecting the people, processes, and responsibilities involved." Helping Companies Navigate Their First PCI Assessment The expanded practice also introduces Handling Your First PCI Assessment, a dedicated program for organizations preparing to undergo formal PCI validation for the first time. For businesses entering the assessment process, understanding the requirements can be challenging, particularly when PCI responsibilities intersect with technology architecture, payment integrations, vendor relationships, and internal operating procedures. Payments Therapist provides hands-on assistance with scope review, readiness evaluations, gap identification, documentation preparation, evidence organization, stakeholder coordination, and assessor communications. The program helps organizations approach their first assessment with an established plan and a clearer understanding of their responsibilities. After the initial assessment, clients can transition to ongoing governance support to maintain the program as their operations evolve. Expanding the Payments Therapist Model The expanded PCI practice reflects Payments Therapist's broader philosophy of bringing experienced industry practitioners into complex situations that require more than conventional advisory services. Founded by Jason Kafer, the firm works across payment strategy, infrastructure, technology, security, compliance, risk, operations, and revenue, helping organizations address challenges that frequently span multiple business functions. Its approach emphasizes practical execution, direct involvement, and specialized expertise. With Shattler leading its expanded PCI practice, Payments Therapist is extending its specialized consulting model to provide clients with dedicated PCI governance and assessment preparation services. The expansion complements the firm's existing expertise across payment strategy, technology, security, risk, and operations. By combining senior-level industry leadership with practical, ongoing program support, Payments Therapist aims to help growing payments organizations establish sustainable compliance programs, strengthen internal accountability, and manage increasingly complex regulatory and operational responsibilities. About Payments Therapist Payments Therapist is a specialized payments consulting firm that helps fintech companies, financial institutions, payment facilitators, independent software vendors, processors, and complex merchants diagnose and solve challenging payments problems. The firm provides senior-led expertise across payment strategy, infrastructure, security, compliance, risk, operations, technology, and revenue, helping organizations navigate complex situations through practical, hands-on solutions. Say Less Media Ty Fahlman 480-650-1178 saylessmedia.com