Sofia Khatsernova, Legal Function Owner at xpate, discusses how the shift from automation to autonomy changes the responsibilities of financial institutions and their leadership. Drawing on her legal and regulatory work at xpate, she connects AI governance with the practical demands of compliance and risk management in financial services.

The conversation covers the EU AI Act, the UK’s Senior Managers and Certification Regime, and what meaningful control looks like when AI systems make decisions independently.

Sofia explains why institutions need clear responsibilities, monitoring and safeguards before deploying autonomous technology. She also addresses the customer’s role in agentic finance, including how permissions, spending limits and transparent records can help people understand and control the authority they delegate to AI.