Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, the Digital Omnibus on AI, was proposed by the European Commission on November 19, 2025, agreed by Parliament and Council in May 2026, adopted July 8, 2026, published in the Official Journal on July 24, 2026 and entered into force on July 27, 2026. It defers the application of high-risk obligations for stand-alone Annex III systems — including credit scoring — from August 2, 2026 to December 2, 2027, and for AI embedded in regulated products (Annex I) from August 2, 2027 to August 2, 2028. Article 50 transparency obligations were not deferred and applied from August 2, 2026.
| Document | Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI) — Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 amending Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 as regards the simplification of the implementation of harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Digital Omnibus on AI) |
| Issued by | Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 — the EU Artificial Intelligence Act |
| Type | Regulation |
| Status | In force |
| Published | Jul 24, 2026 |
| Effective | Jul 27, 2026 |
| Applies to | All providers and deployers within the AI Act's scope, including banks and lenders using Annex III credit-scoring systems |
| Official source | eur-lex.europa.eu ↗ |
| Use cases | Credit scoring & underwriting · Model risk management · Generative & agentic AI · AI governance (general) · Customer-facing chatbots |
What are the key points of Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI)?
- Stand-alone Annex III high-risk obligations deferred to December 2, 2027; Annex I product-embedded high-risk obligations deferred to August 2, 2028 — both as fixed dates.
- Article 50 transparency duties (disclosing AI interaction, marking synthetic content) still applied from August 2, 2026, with a grace period to December 2, 2026 for marking content from systems already on the market.
- Article 4 AI-literacy duty softened: providers and deployers must support the development of AI literacy among staff rather than guarantee a level of competence.
- Lawful basis for processing special-category personal data for bias detection and correction extended beyond high-risk systems to all AI systems and GPAI models, subject to strict necessity.
- AI Office gains investigation, inspection and fining powers, and exclusive competence over AI systems built on general-purpose AI models.
- Simplified documentation extended to small mid-caps; a simplified registration route reinstated for systems providers consider not high-risk under Article 6(3).
- Member-state AI regulatory sandboxes deadline moved to August 2, 2027; new prohibition on AI generating non-consensual intimate imagery or CSAM with a transitional period to December 2, 2026.
- Also amends the EASA Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 and Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230.
What did Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI) change for banks?
The omnibus gave EU banks 16 extra months before credit-scoring and other Annex III systems must meet the full high-risk regime, reflecting that harmonised standards and most Commission guidance were not ready. The penalty structure and the Annex III 5(b) classification are unchanged, so remediation of legacy ML credit models remains necessary — the deadline moved, the substance did not. US banks with EU exposure should re-baseline programme plans on December 2, 2027.
What is the new EU AI Act high-risk deadline after the Digital Omnibus?
December 2, 2027 for stand-alone Annex III systems such as credit scoring, and August 2, 2028 for AI that is a safety component of a product regulated under Annex I legislation.
Did the omnibus change which bank systems count as high-risk?
No. Annex III point 5(b) on credit scoring and 5(c) on life and health insurance pricing were not amended; the change is timing, plus procedural relief such as simplified documentation for small mid-caps.
When did the Digital Omnibus on AI enter into force?
July 27, 2026, three days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU on July 24, 2026, as Regulation (EU) 2026/1744.
| Date | Document | Status |
|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2026 | Draft Commission guidelines on high-risk classification — Draft Commission Guidelines on the classification of high-risk AI systems under Article 6 of the AI Act | Proposed |
| Nov 21, 2025 | EBA factsheet on the AI Act — AI Act: implications for the EU banking and payments sector (EBA factsheet) | Final |
| Jul 10, 2025 | General-Purpose AI Code of Practice — General-Purpose AI Code of Practice under the AI Act (Transparency, Copyright, and Safety and Security chapters) | In force |
| Feb 4, 2025 | Commission guidelines on prohibited AI practices — Commission Guidelines on prohibited artificial intelligence practices established by Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act) | In force |
| Jul 12, 2024 | Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 — Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act) | In force |
| Oct 30, 2023 | Consumer Credit Directive (EU) 2023/2225 — Directive (EU) 2023/2225 on credit agreements for consumers (CCD2) — automated creditworthiness assessment provisions | Final |
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