The Meridian

The bi-weekly compliance newsletter delivering practical insights on risk, regulation, and responsible innovation from veterans and builders in finance.

Hi Equinox Community 👋

It's been a busy few weeks in the regulatory landscape! The Treasury dropped its first-ever AI guidance for banks, and examiners aren't waiting for anyone to catch up. Plus, we've just released new audit readiness resources and are hosting talks all about model training and governance. Let's dive in!

On our radar 📡

On February 23, 2026, the Treasury Department released its first AI guidance aimed at financial services. If your Compliance program hasn't started accounting for AI risk, this is your signal that the clock is running.

The guidance puts banks and fintechs on notice that regulators are no longer treating AI oversight as a future consideration. Model governance, data integrity, and third-party AI vendor oversight are moving from best practice to baseline expectation. For compliance teams, that means the question is no longer whether to build an AI governance framework — it's whether yours will hold up when an examiner asks to see it.

We broke down what the guidance says, what it means for your CMS, and where most programs currently have gaps. Read more →​

From the blog 📝

🏃 How High-Growth Orgs Achieve a Faster Path to Market​
Speed-to-market is a compliance problem. Here's how fractional leadership helps fintechs move fast without cutting corners. Read more →​

📄 5 Signs Your Compliance Program Only Exists on Paper
Policies are written, training is listed, and your org chart has a compliance function. Learn why this isn't impressing examiners. Read more →​

🏛️ The 12 Pillars of a Compliance Management System
The CFPB says five. The FDIC says three. Here's the complete picture of what a defensible CMS actually requires. Read more →​

Watch and learn 🤓

📽️ Preparing for a Compliance Audit | On-demand Webinar

Join Amber de Volk and Bert Friedman in a practical session for compliance leaders and operators who want to stop scrambling before exams and start building operational discipline.

Watch now

Upcoming events 📅

🧱 Building an AI Model Governance Program that Scales. March 4th | Virtual​

🤖 Model Training for Regulated AI. March 24th | Virtual​

🤠 Quantum Crypto Camp. May 2026 | Texas​

Have a question or want to connect? Reach out to us!

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See you in two weeks,

Ieva