The statements were made by the former director of the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic and the Superintendent of Banks of the Dominican Republic during the opening of the CLAIN 2026 Congress
SANTO DOMINGO. – Digital acceleration, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the increase in cyberattacks, and the evolution of emerging risks are driving a profound transformation in the internal audit models of the financial system, agreed experts and representatives of the banking sector within the framework of the opening of the Latin American Congress of Internal Audit and Risk Assessment (CLAIN 2026).
During his lecture "Strategic vision of auditing: evolution towards a strategic role and generator of organizational value", Cosme Juan Carlos Belmonte, former director of the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic and former superintendent of Financial and Exchange Entities, stated that internal auditing can no longer be limited to a traditional control function, but must evolve towards a more strategic, anticipatory model supported by technology and data analytics.
"The internal audit that banks need today is not one that looks to the past, but one that anticipates the future," said Belmonte, addressing the need to strengthen institutional capabilities in the face of increasingly dynamic and complex financial and technological environments.
In that same vein, in her opening remarks, the executive president of the Association of Multiple Banks of the Dominican Republic (ABA), Rosanna Ruiz, pointed out that organizations are currently experiencing "an unprecedented transformation driven by digital acceleration, artificial intelligence, the growing sophistication of financial and cyber fraud, as well as by new regulatory requirements and higher expectations regarding transparency, sustainability and corporate governance.".
Ruiz argued that, in this new environment, internal auditing is rapidly evolving towards a more strategic and preventive role, where the auditor is expected to have the ability to anticipate, understand emerging risks and provide effective support in making critical decisions.
Likewise, the representative of the banking entity indicated that internal audit functions need to be increasingly agile, integrated and supported by technology, capable not only of identifying vulnerabilities, but also of generating early warnings, strengthening institutional resilience and supporting the transformation processes of organizations.
Superintendency of Banks promotes more preventative schemes
The opening ceremony of CLAIN, organized by the ABA and the Latin American Federation of Banks (FELABAN), also included the participation of the Superintendent of Banks (SB), Alejandro Fernández W., who stated that the increase in financial and non-financial risks, as well as the digitization of processes, the intensive use of data and the incorporation of new technologies require more robust corporate frameworks, which support the strength demanded by the new profile of auditing, with its due independence.
"From a supervisory perspective, this reality has reinforced the need to move towards more preventive and focused approaches. Therefore, it is necessary to go beyond an approach centered solely on compliance and verification and move towards a more comprehensive view of risks, how organizations operate, and how effective their controls are," he stated.
During his keynote address, which was attended by the presidents and other senior executives of the country's multiple banks, Fernández W. pointed out that for the SB, responsible supervision not only involves identifying risks, but also anticipating them and promoting good practices, as well as ensuring that internal audit operates with the highest level of independence and objectivity within the structures of the entities.
For his part, FELABAN Secretary General Giorgio Trettenero stated that artificial intelligence and new technologies, far from displacing, reinforce the role of the auditor with tools and technical skills, while at the same time facing emerging risks associated with cybercrime and new market realities.
In this regard, Trettenero emphasized that in the banking business, trust represents an intangible and indispensable asset, and therefore, updating, training, and support for auditing professionals is of vital importance to preserve the strength of the sector.
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