# Near-term Risks Posed By Autonomous AI Agents Operating in Financial Services

- Date: 2026-08-05
- Added: 2026-09-04
- Who: Ms Mariam Jaafar · Mr Gan Kim Yong
- Source: https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/#/sprs3topic?reportid=written-answer-na-24270
- sgai: https://sgai.md/debates/written-answer-na-24270/
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## Why it matters

MAS's AI Risk Management Guidelines, consulted on in November 2025, are about to be finalised and explicitly cover agentic AI, yet SAFR stays industry-led with no timeline for making it mandatory.

## Summary

Ms Mariam Jaafar asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, in writing, for the Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS) assessment of the near-term risks posed by increasingly autonomous AI agents in financial services, whether MAS intends to move from the current industry-led Safeguards for Agentic Finance at Runtime (SAFR) framework towards mandatory supervisory requirements, and if so on what timeline. Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, replying for the Prime Minister, said that given AI's fast-evolving nature MAS takes a principles-based approach to guide safe and responsible adoption, helping financial institutions (FIs) apply risk management proportionately. In November 2025 MAS published a consultation paper on proposed Guidelines on Artificial Intelligence Risk Management, setting out supervisory expectations for robust board and senior management oversight, sound risk management frameworks and processes, and sound AI life-cycle controls. The Guidelines apply to all AI use cases by FIs, including agentic AI, and will be finalised soon. Beyond supervisory expectations, industry has developed an AI Risk Management Toolkit under Project MindForge, while the SAFR framework sets out a potential approach to how agent actions are authorised, how human oversight is activated and what is recorded at every consequential decision. MAS will keep partnering industry through the Future of Finance Institute and will review and update its supervisory expectations where necessary. No timeline for making SAFR mandatory was given.

## Key points

- MAS takes a principles-based approach to AI in finance, helping FIs apply risk management proportionately
- A consultation paper on proposed Guidelines on AI Risk Management was published in November 2025, covering board oversight, risk frameworks and AI life-cycle controls; it applies to all use cases including agentic AI and will be finalised soon
- Under Project MindForge the industry built an AI Risk Management Toolkit; the SAFR framework addresses how agent actions are authorised, when human oversight kicks in and what is recorded at each consequential decision
- MAS will keep co-developing good practices with industry through the Future of Finance Institute and review its supervisory expectations
- The reply neither commits to turning SAFR from industry-led into a mandatory requirement nor gives a timeline

## Full text

© Parliament of Singapore — reproduced for reference only.

43 Ms Mariam Jaafar asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) what is the Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS') assessment of the near-term risks posed by increasingly autonomous AI agents operating in financial services; (b) whether MAS intends to move from the current industry-led Safeguards for Agentic Finance at Runtime (SAFR) framework towards mandatory supervisory requirements; and (c) if so, on what timeline.

Mr Gan Kim Yong (for the Prime Minister) : Given AI's fast-evolving nature, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is taking a principles-based approach to guide safe and responsible AI adoption. This is to support financial institutions (FIs) in proportionately applying risk management practices when using AI.

In November 2025, MAS published a consultation paper on the proposed Guidelines on Artificial Intelligence Risk Management. The Guidelines set out MAS' supervisory expectations for FIs to have robust board and senior management oversight, sound risk management frameworks and processes and sound AI life cycle controls. They apply to all AI use cases by FIs, including agentic AI, and will be finalised soon.

Beyond setting supervisory expectations, MAS has also worked closely with the industry to develop practical implementation resources. Under Project MindForge, the industry has developed an AI Risk Management Toolkit to help FIs implement the Guidelines. The Safeguards for Agentic Finance at Runtime framework sets out a potential approach to how agent actions are authorised, how human oversight is activated and what is recorded at the point of every consequential decision.

As we partner with industry through the Future of Finance Institute to develop these good practices and toolkits, we will also continue to review our supervisory expectations and update them where necessary to support the safe and responsible adoption of AI in the financial sector.