AI Maturity & Readiness
Find out if you can run AI before you buy it.
A scored, evidence-based read of your institution across seven pillars, from strategy and data to model risk. You see where you stand, where the gaps are and what to fix first.
The free test is a 14-question short form of the same framework.
- questions, each scored on evidence
- 38
- questions, each scored on evidence
- weighted pillars
- 7
- weighted pillars
- target score, out of 5
- 3.5
- target score, out of 5
- 12
- markets on the map
- 20+
- years in banking tech
- 95%
- projects on time
Your regulator is about to ask what your board knows about AI.
CBK's 2025 survey found AI already at work across Kenyan banking, and data, skills and governance holding it back. In September 2026 CBK published a draft Guidance Note on AI that makes boards accountable for it.
of institutions using AI name data quality and governance as their top AI risk
of the same institutions report too few AI-skilled staff
asked CBK to issue AI guidance
What the draft Guidance Note asks for
- A board-approved AI strategy, AI policy and AI risk framework
- CBK approval before an AI system is deployed
- A register of AI systems, filed with CBK every year
- Bias impact assessments, and human review of AI decisions on request
- Agentic AI treated as high-risk
Sources: CBK, Survey on AI in the Banking Sector (2025) · Draft Guidance Note on AI, consultation closed 7 Nov 2026 (summary by Bowmans)
What your institution gains.
Evidence before budget, and a plan your board can defend.
One honest baseline
Every pillar scored 1 to 5 against evidence, then weighted into one maturity score.
Gaps you can name
Each pillar measured against a 3.5 target, so you see exactly what holds AI back.
An order of work
Priorities agreed with your team and sequenced from three months to three years.
Ready for the regulator
Strategy, data governance and model risk checked against what CBK's draft guidance asks for.
A board-ready readout
Findings leadership can act on, in plain language, with the evidence behind them.
Spend that follows evidence
Fund the fixes that unblock AI before you fund more tools.
Built for the people who sign off AI.
Banks, microfinance banks and digital lenders, from the boardroom to the data team.
You are asked to approve an AI budget and want evidence first.
You need to know whether your systems and data can carry AI.
You are preparing for model risk, bias and CBK's AI expectations.
You need a case for the data quality and governance work AI depends on.
You want many AI ideas turned into one funded plan.
Seven pillars. One maturity score.
Each pillar carries a weight that reflects how much it decides whether AI works in a bank.
AI Strategy & Vision
Direction, executive sponsorship and funded investment.
- Weight
- 20%
- Questions
- 6
Built for AI, not borrowed from IT maturity.
A digital maturity score misses what makes AI risky. This one checks what a model needs to work and what a regulator will ask about it.
- A board-approved AI strategy and policyWhere the assessment checks it: AI Strategy & Vision
- A data governance strategy, policy and frameworkWhere the assessment checks it: Data Infrastructure & Governance
- Bias assessments, explanations and human reviewWhere the assessment checks it: AI Governance & Risk
- Monitoring for drift, performance and securityWhere the assessment checks it: Performance Monitoring & Accountability
- A register of AI systems and modelsWhere the assessment checks it: AI Use Cases & Business Value
- Training and awareness for staffWhere the assessment checks it: Talent & Culture
Mapped to the draft published for consultation in September 2026. The assessment is not a legal or compliance opinion.
From evidence to an agreed plan, in four phases.
Scope & discovery
Agree scope, people and timeline.
- Name owners in business, technology, data and risk
- Agree which units, systems and AI uses are in scope
- Collect existing strategies, policies and model inventories
An evidence-based starting point for every AI decision.
Five maturity levels, from Nascent to Leading. Your score places you on the scale; the roadmap moves you up it.
- 01The completed questionnaire, with evidence for every score
- 02Seven pillar scores and one weighted overall score
- 03A gap analysis against the 3.5 target
- 04A prioritised improvement roadmap
- 05A leadership readout
Two ways to start.
Free AI readiness test
A quick self-assessment for one leader, scored on the spot.
- 14 questions across the same seven pillars
- An instant score and maturity level
- Your top priorities, by weighted gap
Full maturity assessment
The complete assessment, run with the people who own each pillar.
- All 38 questions, each scored on evidence
- Interviews across business, technology, data and risk
- A leadership readout and an agreed roadmap
Questions leaders ask us.
How is this different from the free AI readiness test?
The free test is a 14-question short form that one person completes in a few minutes. The full assessment asks all 38 questions, with the owners of each area, and every score is backed by evidence. Both use the same seven pillars, weights and 3.5 target, so a quick score lines up with the full one.
Who from our side needs to be involved?
An executive sponsor, plus the owners of business, technology, data and risk. We agree the names and the interview plan with you in the first phase.
We already run AI in production. Is this still useful?
Yes. Three of the seven pillars look at AI already in use: technology and deployment, governance and risk, and performance monitoring. Institutions with live models often find their biggest gaps there.
Does it cover CBK's draft Guidance Note on AI?
It checks the areas the draft asks about, including AI strategy and policy, data governance, model risk, bias and monitoring. It is not a legal or compliance opinion, and the final note may differ from the draft.
What happens after the roadmap?
Your team owns it. If you want help delivering it, FinSense can add specialists through Skillset or build and run the AI through Techset.
Start with the honest baseline.
See where you stand in about five minutes, or talk to us about a full assessment with your team.