China: A Corporate/Commercial: Sichuan: Non-contentious (PRC Firms) Overview

Compliance Management in Commercial Banks: Transformation and Challenges

As a cornerstone of the sound operation of the financial system, compliance management in commercial banks has undergone profound changes in recent years. These changes have been driven by stricter financial regulations, the rapid development of financial technology and the evolving nature of risk. This transformation has also brought multidimensional challenges to commercial banks.

Trends in the transformation of compliance management in commercial banks

The evolution of regulatory paradigms from “rule-based” to “principle-based” and “outcome-oriented”

Traditional compliance management primarily focused on adhering to specific legal regulations (“rule-based”). However, with the increasing complexity of financial products and business models, rules often lag behind innovations in practice. Nowadays, both domestic and international financial regulations are shifting towards a “principle-based” and “outcome-oriented” approach. This emphasises the need for banks to understand the legislative intent and principles behind regulatory rules more deeply, focusing more on the actual effectiveness of compliance management and the results of risk control.

The transformation of compliance technology from manual and decentralised to intelligent and integrated

For a long time, bank compliance work relied heavily on manual review, leading to issues such as inefficiency, limited coverage and inconsistency in standards. The rise of technology has changed this situation. For example, AI models are now used to analyse vast amounts of transaction data and communication records in real time, accurately identifying suspicious transactions (ie, anti-money laundering). Automated generation of monitoring documents and reports has significantly improved the efficiency of compliance supervision. Integrated compliance platforms have broken down departmental barriers, consolidating various compliance requirements such as anti-money laundering, sanctions compliance, data protection and operational risk.

The continued expansion and deepening of the scope of compliance management

Both the connotations and denotation of compliance risks have continuously expanded, far exceeding traditional areas such as credit compliance and anti-money laundering:

• Data security and privacy protection: With the implementation of laws such as the Cybersecurity Law of the PRC, the Data Security Law of the PRC, and the Personal Information Protection Law of the PRC, data compliance has become a lifeline for commercial banks.
• Environmental, social and governance (ESG) compliance: The Guidelines for Green Finance in the Banking and Insurance Industries mandate financial institutions to strengthen their ESG efforts, manage ESG-related risks and consider the ESG risks of customers and associated parties.
• Cross-border business and sanctions compliance: In the context of globalisation, banks conducting cross-border business must comply with both domestic and international regulatory requirements and complex sanctions rules, which have increased the difficulty of compliance.
• Consumer protection: Regulatory agencies have become increasingly rigorous in protecting financial consumers’ rights such as the right to be informed, the right to choose freely, and the right to fair trade. Compliance requirements in areas like financial products design, marketing, business procedures, complaint handling and credit repair have all significantly increased.

Key challenges facing compliance management in commercial banks

Challenges of complex and dynamic regulatory rules

Both domestic and international financial regulatory environments are becoming increasingly complex and stringent. The vast number of rules and their rapid updates present significant challenges for commercial banks, especially when conducting innovative and cross-border businesses. Interpreting and internalising the voluminous and ever-changing regulatory requirements in a timely and accurate manner is a huge management challenge.

Challenges in the application of compliance technology: data, technology and talent

• Data quality and integration issues: The effectiveness of compliance technology relies heavily on high-quality, standardised data. However, the process of transitioning from non-standardised to standardised data management in banks still faces challenges, such as limitations in the standardisation of historical data, making data processing more difficult and restricting the accuracy of analytical models.
• Risks of technology itself: AI is not infallible – algorithms may have biases or “black box” issues, leading to false positives, missed detections or erroneous analyses. Additionally, cybersecurity threats such as data leaks and hacker attacks pose challenges to compliance systems.
• Lack of integrated talent: There is a shortage of professionals who are proficient in their knowledge of financial business, legal compliance, and data science and technology. This talent gap hinders the deeper application of compliance technology.

Balance between business innovation and compliance control

The rapid development of financial technology has given rise to new business models such as open banking, digital currencies and embedded finance. These new business models often emerge before legislation creating a regulatory grey area. How to find the balance between supporting business innovation and maintaining risk control is a test of the wisdom of corporate management.

Challenges of organisational culture and implementing comprehensive compliance

According to the “Three Lines of Defence” theory from the Measures for Compliance Management in Central Enterprises, the business department is the first line of defence, the compliance department is the second, and the supervision department is the third. In practice, there is still a tendency for compliance pressure to be entirely passed on to the compliance department. This traditional view makes it difficult to truly embed compliance requirements in the front end of business operations.

Measures and outlook

In response to these transformations and challenges, we recommend that commercial banks strategically focus on the planning and implementation of their compliance management systems in the following ways.

• Building an agile and forward-looking compliance governance structure: The board of directors and senior management should elevate compliance management to a strategic level, establishing a governance mechanism that can quickly respond to regulatory changes and business innovations.
• Deepening technological empowerment and building a smart compliance system: Continue to invest in the application of compliance technology and the development of integrated talent to improve data utilisation and governance. At the same time, ensure that both the bank’s and its customers’ data security is managed effectively.
• Cultivating a positive compliance culture: Through regular training, positive incentives, and a combined reward-punishment mechanism, banks should internalise compliance values and ensure that all employees are actively involved in compliance efforts.

The transformation of compliance management in commercial banks is driven by strengthened regulation and technological advancements but also faces multiple challenges related to governance, data, and technology usage. Looking ahead, compliance will not only be a constraint but also a competitive advantage. An optimised and evolving compliance management system will help commercial banks achieve long-term stability and success.

商业银行合规管理：变革与挑战

商业银行合规管理作为金融体系稳健运行的重要基石，近年来在金融监管趋严、金融科技迅猛发展以及风险形态不断演变的背景下，经历了深刻变革。这一变革也给商业银行带来了多维度的挑战。

一、商业银行合规管理的变革趋势

（一）监管范式从“规则为本”向“原则为本”及“结果导向”演进

传统合规管理主要侧重于遵循具体的法律法规条文（规则为本），但随着金融产品和业务模式的复杂化，规则往往滞后于实务中的创新。目前国内外金融监管动态趋于按“原则为本”及“结果导向”的监管模式，强调银行应深入理解监管规则背后的立法意图和原则精神，更加注重合规管理的实际效果和风险控制成果。

（二）合规管理技术从人工化、分散化向智能化、一体化转型

长期以来，银行合规工作高度依赖人工审核，存在效率、覆盖面、标准等方面问题。科技手段的兴起改变了这一局面，如利用AI模型实时分析海量交易数据、通讯记录，精准识别可疑交易（反洗钱）等异常行为；通过自动生成监测文件及报告，极大提升了合规监管效率；运用一体化合规平台，打破部门壁垒，整合反洗钱、制裁合规、数据保护、操作风险等多领域合规要求。

（三）合规管理范围持续扩大与深化

合规风险的内涵和外延不断扩展，已远超出传统的信贷合规、反洗钱范畴：

1.数据安全与隐私保护：随着《中华人民共和国网络安全法》《中华人民共和国数据安全法》《中华人民共和国个人信息保护法》等法律法规的实施，数据合规成为商业银行的生命线。

2.环境、社会与治理（ESG）合规：《银行业保险业绿色金融指引》要求银行保险机构加强自身环境、社会和治理（ESG）建设，防范ESG相关的风险，同时将客户及关联主体的ESG风险纳入考量。

3.跨境业务与制裁合规：全球化背景下，银行开展跨境业务需同时关注国内外监管规定及复杂的制裁规则及名单，合规难度增加。

4.消费者权益保护：监管机构对金融消费者知情权、自主选择权、公平交易权等权利的保护要求愈发严格，金融产品设计、营销宣传、业务程序、投诉处理、信用修复等方面合规要求均显著提高。

二、商业银行合规管理面临的主要挑战

（一）监管规则的复杂性与动态性挑战

国内外金融监管环境日趋复杂、严格，规则数量庞大、更新频率加快，商业银行开展业务尤其是创新型业务、跨境业务时，面临“合规迷宫”。如何及时、准确地解读并内化庞杂且变化的监管要求，是巨大的管理挑战。

（二）合规科技应用中的数据、技术与人才挑战

1.数据质量与整合难题：合规科技的有效性高度依赖于高质量、标准化的数据。然而，银行数据管理从非标化向标准化演进的过程中仍然存在历史数据标准化受限等问题，增加了数据处理的难度、制约了分析模型的准确性。

2.科技本身的风险：AI不是万能的，算法可能存在偏见或“黑箱”问题，导致误报或漏报甚至错误分析；数据泄露、黑客攻击等网络安全威胁也对合规系统本身构成挑战。

3.复合型人才匮乏：既懂金融业务、法律合规，又精通数据科学和技术的复合型人才缺乏，成为制约合规科技深度应用的瓶颈。

（三）业务创新与合规管控的平衡挑战

金融科技的快速发展催生了开放银行、数字货币、嵌入式金融等新业态。新生的业务模式往往诞生在监管规则之前，处于模糊的监管地带。如何在支持业务创新与守住风险底线之间找到平衡点，考验着管理层的智慧。

（四）组织文化与全员合规的落地挑战

源于《中央企业合规管理办法》的“三道防线”理论中，业务部门是第一道防线，合规管理部门是第二道防线，监督部门是第三道防线。在实践中，仍存在合规压力完全向合规部门传导的现象。这种传统观念，导致合规要求难以真正嵌入业务前端。

三、应对与展望

面对上述变革与挑战，我们建议商业银行从战略高度重视合规管理体系的规划和运用：

1.构建敏捷、前瞻的合规治理架构：董事会和高管层应将合规管理提升至战略层面，建立能够快速响应监管变化和业务创新的治理机制。

2.深化科技赋能，建设智慧合规体系：持续加大合规科技运用和复合型合规人才培养的投入，提升数据使用、治理水平，同时关注银行和客户的数据安全管理。

3.培育积极的合规文化：通过常态化培训、正向激励与奖惩机制相结合的方式，将合规价值观内化于心、外化于行，确保全员参与合规建设。

商业银行合规管理的变革基于监管强化与科技进步，也面临治理、数据和技术运用等多重挑战。展望未来，合规不仅是约束，更是竞争优势。不断优化发展的合规管理体系将助力商业银行行稳致远。