AI in Capital Markets and Voice Surveillance
The latest episode of FinTech Focus TV, hosted by Toby Babb, was recorded live at the AI in Capital Markets Summit in NYC. This special edition brings together sharp insights and practical applications of artificial intelligence in compliance and surveillance from a market leader in the space. Toby sat down with Ozzie Berrios, Senior Pre Sales Specialist at SteelEye, to explore how AI is transforming voice surveillance, regulatory readiness, and operational productivity across capital markets.
For Harrington Starr, a FinTech recruitment business operating across London, Belfast, and New York, this episode demonstrates how the right blend of AI tools and human expertise is reshaping the FinTech industry and creating opportunities for professionals and businesses alike.
AI in FinTech Compliance: An Expanding Force, Not a Replacement
As AI dominates conversations across capital markets, Ozzie Berrios framed the technology not as a job replacer, but as a job enhancer. For firms navigating strict compliance obligations, SteelEye’s mission is to equip teams with scalable AI tools that amplify productivity and streamline regulatory processes.
Ozzie brought two decades of financial services experience and four years in FinTech to the table. He noted that AI, particularly in the context of surveillance and capture, offers exponential power when deployed correctly. At SteelEye, AI is integrated in a way that enables one compliance professional to operate at the scale of twenty. This isn't theoretical, their systems actively monitor transactions and voice communications to highlight potential issues before they escalate.
Rather than replacing compliance teams, AI empowers them by reducing manual processes, consolidating data, and increasing efficiency. This is especially critical in FinTech, where evolving global regulations and cross-border compliance pressures are constants.
AI-Driven Voice Surveillance: Turning Conversations into Compliance-Ready Data
One of the standout themes of this episode is voice surveillance. As Ozzie explained, today's regulatory bodies are increasingly treating verbal communications as compliant records, especially with the rise of platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom. These tools automatically capture and transcribe spoken interactions, making it harder for institutions to claim ignorance or avoid retention requirements.
Ozzie observed that while regulatory bodies have not yet mandated transcription submission from these sources, it's only a matter of time. SteelEye is helping clients prepare for this inevitability by building systems capable of capturing, archiving, and analysing these transcripts proactively.
The old industry habit of waiting until a fine arrives before taking action is no longer viable. AI-led solutions now allow firms to move from a fire-fighting approach to risk prevention. That’s a monumental shift for compliance in financial services, and a change Harrington Starr has seen reflected in the surge of recruitment demand for professionals in RegTech, surveillance, and compliance engineering.
Proactive Compliance and the Role of AI in Capital Markets
Toby highlighted how many financial firms continue to approach compliance reactively, waiting for red flags rather than preventing them. But Ozzie made it clear that the tools for proactive compliance are here, and they’re being refined quickly.
SteelEye’s use of AI in surveillance has drastically improved false positive rates, a notorious obstacle in legacy systems. Before, systems would flag large volumes of irrelevant activity, wasting valuable time. Now, AI enables risk-based filtering and prioritisation, making compliance faster, smarter, and more tailored to the specific needs of a business.
Ozzie explained how regulators are now deeply familiar with the technology vendors use. If a firm claims they can’t produce voice surveillance data or translations, but the technology exists to do so, regulators are increasingly unwilling to accept such excuses. This has pushed FinTechs and financial services firms to invest in intelligent tools that meet evolving expectations.
The Global Regulatory Landscape: One Voice, Many Watchdogs
From the U.S. SEC and FINRA to the FCA in the UK and MAS in Singapore, regulators worldwide are aligned in their expectations of firms. According to Ozzie, they often communicate with one another and track vendor capabilities closely. This means that compliance technology adoption is no longer optional. If a system exists that can detect and transcribe suspicious voice behaviour, firms are expected to use it—or face serious consequences.
SteelEye’s systems account for this by enabling global adaptability. Whether dealing with different time zones, jurisdictions, or languages, their tools are designed to operate across regions with consistent accuracy. For FinTech businesses operating internationally, this is non-negotiable.
Ozzie also touched on how firms can no longer rely on the excuse of disappearing data. Messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Signal, which often include disappearing voice notes, are now part of the regulatory conversation. If businesses fail to capture and archive that data, it could lead to significant regulatory breaches. In short, regulatory risk is now technical risk.
Data Quality and Multilingual AI: Enhancing Surveillance at Scale
Toby and Ozzie delved into one of the most critical elements of AI surveillance: data accuracy. For AI tools to be effective, the transcription engines must handle multiple languages, industry jargon, and conversational nuances.
SteelEye has invested in over 25 language models, each capable of understanding slang and switching between languages mid-conversation. This is particularly useful for international firms where multilingual staff often toggle between English, Spanish, Mandarin, and other dialects in live conversations.
This linguistic agility minimises false positives and allows firms to monitor complex conversations without compromising accuracy. In addition, the AI is trained to adapt to code-switching behaviour, when individuals intentionally shift languages during discussions to evade detection. SteelEye’s systems are built to flag such shifts and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
As AI evolves, the companies succeeding in this space will be those who combine strong foundational data with flexible, responsive architecture. For FinTech recruitment businesses like Harrington Starr, this opens up huge demand for candidates with experience in natural language processing, data architecture, and RegTech development.
Risk Management Through Real-Time Supervision and AI Innovation
Another major development shared by Ozzie was the growing importance of real-time supervision. In the past, firms might review communications long after an incident had occurred. Today, the priority is real-time or near-real-time detection, using AI to surface anomalies as they happen.
SteelEye’s systems are capable of assigning risk scores to alerts, prioritising which issues deserve immediate attention and which can be batched. This ties directly into time and resource savings. One client, Ozzie noted, used to block out Friday afternoons just to manually review alerts. With SteelEye’s AI copilot, that task is now dramatically streamlined, saving over 80% of his time.
That’s not just an operational win; it’s a cultural shift. Time saved can be redirected toward strategic thinking, professional development, mentoring junior staff, or deeper investigation into higher-risk issues. For leaders under pressure to do more with less, AI enables a level of productivity that simply wasn’t possible before.
The Productivity Uplift: AI as a Strategic Enabler in FinTech
Toby raised an important philosophical point in the episode: if AI gives people more time, how will they use it? Will it be a ticket to clock off early or a chance to add real value?
Ozzie believes it’s the latter. When AI takes care of the repetitive tasks, compliance professionals can focus on high-level decision-making, staff training, and building more effective frameworks. That means increased engagement, better governance, and long-term career development, all major factors in retaining top compliance talent.
As AI continues to mature, businesses that view it as a strategic enabler, rather than just a cost-saver, will lead the way. And from a recruitment perspective, it’s those firms that will attract the best technologists and compliance experts.
FinTech Recruitment and the Future of Surveillance Talent
What does all this mean for FinTech recruitment?
At Harrington Starr, we’re seeing surging demand for professionals skilled in AI compliance solutions, RegTech integrations, multilingual data processing, and voice surveillance platforms. Clients want people who understand both the regulatory expectations and the underlying technologies.
Ozzie’s conversation with Toby underlines that the talent equation is shifting. It’s no longer enough to understand financial regulation, you also need to understand how tools like AI copilot, real-time transcription, and multilingual monitoring can be deployed in a compliant, effective way.
We’re entering a phase where FinTech businesses can’t afford to wait for fines. They need forward-thinking talent that can design, implement, and evolve intelligent compliance systems. For job seekers and employers alike, this space is one of the most exciting and critical frontiers in the FinTech landscape.
SteelEye at the Forefront of AI in FinTech Compliance
Throughout the episode, it was clear that SteelEye is not just a vendor, it’s an innovation partner. By building systems that are agile, intelligent, and global-ready, they’re setting a new benchmark in AI-powered surveillance and compliance.
From multilingual voice capture and data quality assurance to real-time alert prioritisation and productivity-enhancing copilots, SteelEye’s solutions speak directly to the future of FinTech operations. Their proactive approach to regulation, customer empowerment, and AI innovation positions them as leaders in the capital markets compliance space.
And as highlighted in this episode of FinTech Focus TV, their success is a direct reflection of the changing expectations in the financial services industry.
Conclusion: A New Era of FinTech Compliance Talent
This episode of FinTech Focus TV with Ozzie Berrios offers a timely, in-depth look at how AI is reshaping compliance and voice surveillance in capital markets. For Harrington Starr, it reinforces the growing demand for skilled FinTech professionals who can work at the intersection of regulation and innovation.
With global regulatory convergence, advanced AI tooling, and the need for proactive compliance strategies, FinTech companies must act now to secure the talent and technology that will futureproof their operations.
Whether you’re building a compliance team, hiring RegTech developers, or scaling surveillance capabilities across jurisdictions, the future of FinTech is happening right now. And with partners like SteelEye and conversations like these, the path forward is becoming clearer every day.
