AI Governance · EU AI Act · Funds & Financial Services

EU AI Act — Your firm is probably
already non-compliant.

The EU AI Act applies to every fund manager, AIFM, and financial services firm using AI — including US and non-EU firms with European investors. Compliance deadlines are real. The Central Bank of Ireland is watching.

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€5tn Assets Under Supervision — Irish Funds Industry
Dec '27 High-Risk AI Compliance Deadline
15+ Irish NCAs Enforcing AI Act
THE EU AI ACT PLAYBOOK
For Funds and Financial Services
A Practical Guide to AI Governance and Compliance
Shane Brett, PhD

New Publication — April 2026

The EU AI Act Playbook for Funds and Financial Services

Learn More & Order → Listen Free on Spotify Premium
Trusted expertise across
Investment Managers & AIFMs UCITS Management Companies Fund Administrators FinTech & RegTech US Managers with EU Exposure Audiobook on Spotify

The Problem

Most financial services firms are using
high-risk AI without governance.

"Not because they have done anything wrong. Because they are using AI systems every day — systems explicitly classified as high-risk under the EU AI Act — with no documentation, no oversight logs, and no evidence of governance."

The real deadline is not December 2027. It is the next LP due diligence questionnaire that lands in your inbox. European institutional investors — pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds — are already adding AI governance questions to their DDQ frameworks. Firms that cannot answer clearly will not be selected.

Extraterritorial Reach

The EU AI Act applies to any firm whose AI outputs affect people in the EU — regardless of where you are based. New York hedge funds with Irish investors are in scope.

High-Risk by Default

Credit scoring, investment decisions, risk monitoring — the AI your firm uses daily is classified high-risk. Documentation, human oversight, and audit trails are mandatory.

CBI Enforcement Is Coming

The Central Bank of Ireland is the designated AI Act regulator for financial services in Ireland — overseeing €5tn+ in fund assets and acting as EU regulator for US-headquartered firms.

Material Penalties

EU regulators issued over €100m in AI-related fines in 2024. BaFin fined Citigroup €12.9m. CBI fined Coinbase €21.5m. The enforcement posture is clear.

Free Tool

How exposed is
your firm to the EU AI Act?

A twenty-question assessment across five governance areas. Get a maturity score, section-by-section breakdown, and an AI-generated 90-day remediation roadmap — tailored to your answers.

01

Complete 20 Questions

Five sections covering inventory, risk classification, human oversight, vendor AI, and documentation. Takes 8 minutes.

02

Get Your Maturity Score

Scored out of 100. Four maturity levels: Reactive, Aware, Structured, or Defensible.

03

Receive Your 90-Day Roadmap

AI-generated and tailored to your specific gaps and jurisdiction. Print it, share it with your board, or use it to brief us.

EU AI Governance Diagnostic
Global Perspectives · 2026 · Free
20
Questions
8
Minutes
100
Point Score

No signup required · AI-generated roadmap included

How We Work

Fixed-scope. Fixed-price.
No surprises.

We work with a small number of clients at any one time. What you get is direct access — not a junior team. A team that has built a regulatory technology company in this space, published peer-reviewed research on AI governance, and knows what the Central Bank looks for when it arrives.

01 Most Popular — Start Here

AI Readiness Assessment

A fixed-scope, four-week engagement. One clear deliverable. No open-ended consultancy. Designed for firms that need to understand where they stand before December 2027.

  • Week 1: Structured discovery & AI system inventory
  • Week 2: Risk classification against EU AI Act framework
  • Week 3: Prioritised remediation roadmap with budget estimates
  • Week 4: Written report + 90-minute board debrief
  • Complete AI system register on completion
  • Board-ready summary document
Enquire Now
02 Ongoing

Monitoring Retainer

For firms that want continued support after the assessment. Stay ahead of evolving Digital Omnibus guidance, Central Bank updates, and annual framework changes.

  • Quarterly compliance reviews
  • Regulatory update briefings
  • Digital Omnibus & CBI guidance tracking
  • Annual framework refresh
  • Regulatory sandbox monitoring
Enquire Now
03 Board Level

Fractional Chief AI Officer

For firms that need sustained board-level AI governance leadership. Available to a small number of clients. Typically two days per month.

  • Ongoing board-level AI governance
  • Board briefings & reporting
  • Policy and framework ownership
  • Vendor AI due diligence
  • Direct CBI engagement support
Enquire Now
The Practical AI Governance Library for Financial Services
THE EU AI ACT PLAYBOOK
For Funds and Financial Services
A Practical Guide to AI Governance and Compliance
Shane Brett, PhD
€42
Digital PDF
Free quarterly updates for 2 years
Order on Amazon — $49.99 → Buy PDF direct — €42 →

The Book

The only EU AI Act guide
written for funds.

Practical. Jurisdiction-specific. Updated quarterly. Written by a practitioner with twenty-five years in the global funds industry — not a lawyer describing the regulation in the abstract, but someone who can tell you exactly which of your systems are high-risk and what you need to do about it.

  • 9 chapters — from risk classification to the 12-month compliance roadmap
  • Complete deployer obligations — all 6, expanded with worked examples
  • AI system register templates, vendor due diligence checklists
  • Board-ready briefing materials and risk frameworks
  • Ireland-specific guidance — CBI, DORA, GDPR, AML intersections
  • Non-EU manager chapter — if you have EU investors, you're in scope
  • Updated quarterly for two years from publication
"If you have Irish or Luxembourg investors, the Act applies to your AI systems. If you are a Boston asset manager with EU pension fund clients, the same. This will show up in due diligence before it shows up in regulation."
Book 1 — Available Now
The Flagship Playbook
Full compliance guide for funds & financial services
Book 2 — Coming Soon
The Board Edition
AI governance for directors and non-executives
Book 3 — 2026
US Managers Edition
For non-EU managers with EU exposure
Book 4 — 2026
AI Agents Playbook
Governing agentic AI in financial services
Also Available
Audiobook on Spotify Premium
Listen on Spotify →

About

Twenty-five years.
One very specific focus.

Dr Shane Brett is one of Ireland's leading experts on AI governance and regulatory compliance in financial services. He founded GECKO Governance — a RegTech company that built compliance management software for the global investment management industry, backed by institutional investors in the US and Europe.

He subsequently founded Global Perspectives, advising financial services firms on governance, regulatory compliance, and emerging technology adoption. Shane holds a PhD and has published peer-reviewed academic research on AI governance in financial services. He holds an Advanced Diploma in AI from University College Dublin.

He advises investment managers, fund administrators, and FinTech companies on EU AI Act readiness across Ireland, Europe, and internationally.

"I work with a small number of clients at any one time. What you get is direct access to someone who has built a regulatory technology company in this exact space, and who knows what regulators look for when they arrive."
PhD

Peer-reviewed research on AI governance & fund regulation

GECKO Governance

Founded & built RegTech company — VC-backed, scaled globally

UCD Advanced Diploma

Professional Diploma in Advanced Artificial Intelligence

25 Years Industry

Global funds, financial technology & regulatory compliance

Dr Shane Brett

Also author of Zero to $10 Million: How to Build an 8-Figure Technology Business, published by Business Expert Press.

Get In Touch

Start the conversation.
No obligation.

Whether you want to discuss the AI Readiness Assessment, ask a question about your firm's obligations, or simply find out if the EU AI Act applies to you — get in touch.

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