The National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Asian Institute of Digital Finance (NUS-AIDF) and The Institute of Banking and Finance Singapore (IBF) are collaborating on training programmes to equip financial sector professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to deploy and govern artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly. The partnership was announced by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, and Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), at the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) 53rd Annual Dinner on 25 June 2026.
In his speech titled “Singapore as a Trusted Connector in a Changing World”, Mr Gan highlighted that the financial sector’s AI transition depends not only on technology tools alone, but also on developing professionals who know how to use, question, govern and improve AI systems. He emphasised the importance of workforce development and ecosystem collaboration to strengthen responsible AI adoption across the financial sector.
The collaboration between NUS-AIDF and IBF is part of this movement. Drawing on NUS-AIDF’s deep expertise in digital financial technology and responsible AI, the partnership will develop IBF-accredited programmes designed to help financial sector professionals understand not only how to use AI tools, but also how to assess risks, ensure accountability and embed good governance practices into their institutions’ AI deployment. Eligible finance professionals can also tap on IBF funding support of up to 70% for the IBF-accredited courses. This will be the first wave of courses on the responsible use of AI that are contextualised to financial sector use case and aligned with MAS’ AI Risk Management Toolkit under Project MindForge1. In addition, these courses are tailored to 4 specific job functions – risk and compliance professionals, AI use case owners, business leaders and users, and will be available from Q3 2026.
Associate Professor Huang Ke-Wei, Executive Director, NUS-AIDF, said, “AI is transforming how financial services are delivered, and the skills required to work in this sector are changing rapidly. It is important that professionals in finance are equipped not just to understand AI, but to apply it responsibly and with sound judgement in their day-to-day roles. Our collaboration with IBF is aimed at doing exactly that — developing training that is practical, relevant, and grounded in the realities of the financial sector. We hope this partnership will encourage more institutions to prioritise responsible AI capability-building, so that more professionals can benefit from meaningful and future-ready skills.”
Ms Carolyn Neo, Chief Executive Officer, IBF, said, “As AI becomes increasingly embedded in daily work, it is important for our workforce to use AI effectively and responsibly. To ensure the responsible use of AI, IBF has worked with partners like NUS-AIDF, to launch contextualised training courses for the financial sector. Upskilling via such contextualised courses equips individuals with practical and applicable skills, because the courses are sector-relevant and role-centric, and have been validated by IBF Industry Workgroups. This will enable our workforce to manage risks while seizing the opportunities arising from AI adoption.”