FICO and Corinium Report: 71% of Asian Firms See AI Governance as Top ROI Driver

Enterprises across Asia are moving rapidly to operationalise Artificial Intelligence (AI), balancing innovation with governance, risk management, and efficiency to drive business value. More than seven in ten Asian enterprises (71%) surveyed view AI governance as delivering the highest return on investment, outpacing Europe (48%) and Australia/New Zealand (44%), according to a recent survey conducted by FICO and Corinium Global Intelligence.

While improving customer experience and driving revenue or market share are cited as the primary motivations for AI investment globally, Asia stands out for also placing governance at the centre of its AI strategy.

According to the study, organisations in Asia are taking a more structured, risk-aware approach to scaling AI than their global peers, underscoring a stronger focus on transparency, control, and predictability. Responsible AI standards (63%) and decision intelligence systems (54%) also feature prominently on enterprise AI roadmaps across Asia.

Key Insights:

• Efficiency first: 83% of Asian firms cite cost savings and process efficiency as the main catalyst for AI adoption.
• Early business alignment: 13% report AI development as “very aligned” with business goals, compared with none in Central and South America and just 4% in North America.
• Governance gaps remain: 76% say inadequate AI model monitoring is the biggest barrier to scaling AI.
• Risk-led execution: IT, risk, and compliance teams are prioritised over standalone data science functions.

Asia’s Practical Blueprint for AI at Scale

As Southeast Asia accelerates AI deployment across banking and public infrastructure, organisational hurdles continue to stifle progress. Resistance to change (71%) remains the most frequently cited barrier, alongside limited collaboration between business and IT teams. Around two-thirds of respondents also point to a lack of shared understanding of AI across the organisation, reinforcing the need for stronger cross-functional alignment as AI moves from pilots to enterprise-wide deployment.

Operational realities further shape how AI is adopted and scaled. Asian enterprises report stronger integration of security and reliable data processing standards into AI operations than their peers in Australia and New Zealand or Central and South America. When it comes to Responsible AI, Asia ranks second globally in adherence to formal standards, behind only North America, highlighting Asia’s relatively mature approach.

“From credit decisioning to fraud prevention, financial institutions across Southeast Asia are moving rapidly beyond pilots to operationalise AI at scale. While Asia leads globally in recognising the business value of AI governance, critical challenges remain,” said Dattu Kompella, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, for FICO. “AI teams are still too disconnected from core business functions, and AI model monitoring integration remains underdeveloped. Closing these gaps is key to trust, regulatory confidence, and sustainable business performance.”

The FICO and Corinium State of Responsible AI in Financial Services: Unlocking Business Value at Scale study polled more than 250 C-suite AI and technology leaders across Asia, North America, Europe, Central and South America, and Australia and New Zealand.

To download the full report, visit: https://www.fico.com/en/latest-thinking/survey-results/2025-state-responsible-ai-financial-services-unlocking-business-value-scale.