It's easy to think that if nothing's gone wrong, everything must be working fine. But in financial crime compliance, that's often when risks start to build unnoticed.

Controls that worked well a few years ago may no longer reflect today's regulatory expectations or the way your business operates. Without taking the time to review and test what's already in place, gaps can go unnoticed until they're exposed by an audit, or an incident you never saw coming.

I always believe that good compliance isn't something you set up once and assume will keep working. It needs regular attention to make sure it's still doing the job you expect it to.

A few reminders worth keeping in mind:

If this is a topic you're interested in, it's worth reading Arctic Intelligence's article on complacency drift and why continuous vigilance plays such an important role in managing financial crime risk.

Much of the conversation around AI has focused on one question: Will it replace jobs?

But after reading Laurel Donnellan's thought-provoking Forbes article, I found myself asking a different question: How will AI change the way we learn, lead, and grow?

As work continues to evolve, success won't belong to those who resist change or blindly embrace it. It will belong to those who remain curious, who continuously learn, and recognize that technology is only one part of the future of work.

The other, and perhaps more important, part is us.

With so much attention focused on the latest AI models, it's easy to overlook the infrastructure making those breakthroughs possible.

That's why this story caught my attention.

AI startup Infinity recently raised $15 million to tackle a problem most people rarely think about: helping AI models run efficiently across different types of chips, not just those powered by NVIDIA's CUDA platform.

What stood out to me was how the company is using AI to improve AI itself. Its research agent, Ignition, automates the time-consuming process of writing and optimizing low-level code — a task that can take engineers weeks or even months. According to the company, AI can now complete much of that work in just hours or days.

I think it's a good reminder that some of the most important breakthroughs often happen behind the scenes.

While most of the attention goes to new AI products and applications, companies like Infinity are focused on the underlying technology that could make AI more efficient and less reliant on a single ecosystem.

Missed our latest Ascend: Stories of Scale episode? 

I joined Sagar Shah of Evernorth for a conversation on the future of financial systems, exploring the impact of AI agents, digital assets, and programmable economies.

Grab a coffee, give it a watch, and I'd love to hear your biggest takeaway.

Over three days, we’ll bring together founders, investors, innovators, and industry leaders for conversations that explore where financial services are headed next.

The opportunity now is to connect with the people building and shaping what comes next.

📍 Green Room, San Francisco
📅 September 29 – October 1, 2026

Save your spot and stay tuned for more details.

Last week, I joined leaders across fintech and financial services at the Midwest Acquirers Association Conference and TechChicago Week by P33 to discuss the future of AI, compliance, and industry transformation, while also having candid conversations about the challenges and realities of building globally.

What stood out most was the openness and collaboration across the room.

Thank you to everyone who shared their ideas and perspectives! Looking forward to continuing the conversation.

This month’s notebook is a little fuller than usual.

Between events in Los Angeles, Austin, and Chicago, I've had the privilege of hearing how leaders are thinking about some of today's biggest business shifts.

Despite the different topics, everyone seemed to agree on one thing: AI may be accelerating change, but people will always be at the center of making it work.

I'll be unpacking many of these conversations in future newsletters, so stay tuned.

And if we met along the way — thank you.

- Angelique