K bank obtains ISO/IEC 42001 certification for AI management

K bank has built a risk management framework covering the full lifecycle of its AI services — from planning and development through to operation — and has obtained international certification for the system.

The bank said Monday it received ISO/IEC 42001 certification for its AI management system last month and held a certification ceremony on Friday. The move reflects efforts to sharpen accountability and control standards as the bank expands its use of AI across customer-facing financial services and internal systems.

ISO/IEC 42001 is an international standard for AI management systems jointly developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission. It sets out requirements for governance, risk management, data management, security, ethics and transparency that organizations developing or deploying AI are expected to meet.

Through the certification, K bank received recognition that its framework for identifying and managing risks across the entire AI service lifecycle meets international standards.

The bank proactively established a set of AI ethics principles to guide responsible AI use. Building on those principles, it put in place policies and internal standards governing AI planning, development and operations, and set up a companywide AI governance structure.

K bank uses AI across both customer services and internal operations. It has launched an AI-powered integrated search function based on generative AI and an "AI transfer" feature that lets users send money through natural-language text or voice commands. Internally, the bank has introduced agentic AI to assist developers with code writing, system analysis and performance improvement.

"The faster AI adoption expands, the more important it becomes to have a framework that manages it safely and responsibly," a K bank official said. "Building on this ISO/IEC 42001 certification, we will continue to advance our AI governance and risk management systems and expand AI financial services that customers can use with confidence."