Advisory and Consultancy
Advisory and Consultancy Services
The first university lab dedicated to agentic finance.
City Agentic Finance Lab (CAFiL) helps financial institutions and fintechs make sound decisions about AI agents: where they add value, how to build and govern them, and how to show that they work as intended. Our network of experts brings research, engineering and regulatory knowledge to your business and technical challenges, and to the opportunities agents open up.
What we offer
Each engagement is scoped to your question. We can help at any stage, from first exploration to an independent review of a system already in use.
Strategy and readiness
Where AI agents fit in your strategy, what your organisation needs in place first, and a realistic plan for the next steps.
Use cases and the value case
Choosing the use cases worth pursuing, and a value case that weighs the expected benefits against cost, risk and the effort of change.
Architecture and technical review
An independent review of an agentic system’s design: models, tools, data, controls, monitoring, and the points at which people stay in charge.
Governance, risk and assurance
Accountability, controls and evidence for AI agents under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR), the Consumer Duty and the EU AI Act.
Evaluation and testing of agents
Evaluation protocols, test plans and benchmarks that show how an agent behaves, where it fails, and whether it meets your standards before and after launch.
Payments, credit, compliance and digital money
Specialist advice in our four research themes, drawing on the studies and evidence behind them.
Board briefings
Independent briefings for boards and executive committees on what AI agents mean for the organisation, its customers and its regulators.
Agentic Readiness Diagnostic
A facilitated workshop in which your leadership team works through our 20-question diagnostic and agrees its readiness and priorities.
How an engagement works
- Scoping conversation A confidential conversation about your question, your constraints and what a useful result would look like.
- Proposal A written proposal with the scope, team, method, timetable and cost.
- Delivery The work itself, with regular check-ins and early sight of emerging findings.
- Evidence-based report What we did, what we found and what we recommend, with the evidence for each conclusion.
All engagements are contracted through City St George’s, University of London.
Who we work with
We work with organisations that are deciding how to use AI agents, and with those that already use them and want independent assurance:
- Banks and building societies
- Insurers
- Asset and wealth managers
- Payment firms and fintechs
- Technology providers serving financial services
- Regulators and public bodies
Why CAFiL
Independent
We have no products to sell and no technology to promote. Our advice follows the evidence, and our independence statement applies to every engagement.
Evidence-led
Our recommendations rest on research, structured evaluation and published evidence, and we say plainly what remains uncertain.
University-based
CAFiL is part of City St George’s, University of London, and works within the university’s rules on research integrity, ethics and contracting.
A broad expert network
Engagements draw on our core team and, where they agree to take part, Associates and colleagues across the university with the expertise your question needs.
Our independence
We choose our own research questions and methods, and we keep the right to publish. Sponsors and partners may comment on drafts but cannot veto findings. Every output discloses its funding. Commercial work is contracted through City St George’s, University of London.
Our scope
We do not work on cyber security, intrusion or threat detection, offensive or defensive security tooling, surveillance, or defence and military applications. Our work on compliance and fraud focuses on governance, evaluation, accountability, consumer protection, liability and redress — not on building detection or surveillance systems. Questions on cyber security and fraud-detection models are referred to specialist colleagues, including City St George’s Institute for Cyber Security.
Questions
How does an engagement work?
It starts with a confidential scoping conversation. We then send a written proposal setting out the scope, team, method, timetable and cost. Once the proposal is agreed and contracted, we carry out the work and finish with an evidence-based report.
Who delivers the work?
Each engagement is led by a member of CAFiL’s core team. Where your question needs further expertise, we may involve Associates or university colleagues who have agreed to take part. The proposal names who does what.
Is our information kept confidential?
Yes. We can sign a confidentiality agreement through the university before you share anything sensitive. We do not publish your confidential information, and we name your organisation only with your written agreement.
Who is the contract with?
All engagements are contracted through City St George’s, University of London. We do not offer private or personal consultancy.
How long does an engagement take?
It depends on the scope. The timetable is set out in the proposal and agreed before any work begins. Tell us your timeframe in the form, and we will tell you early on whether we can meet it.
Can we rely on your independence?
Yes. An engagement does not buy a particular finding: we choose our methods, and our conclusions follow the evidence. Our scope statement also applies: we do not work on cyber security, surveillance or defence, and we do not build fraud-detection systems.
Tell us about your challenge
A member of the team will reply to arrange a first conversation.
Discuss your challenge with CAFiL
Send the advisory team a short description of the decision in front of your organisation.
Or call us on +44 (0)20 7040 4963