# Hill 'Charting a New Course' speech: Charting a New Course: Preliminary Thoughts on FDIC Policy Issues

Source: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fdic-charting-new-course-speech-2025
Last updated: Aug 26, 2026

In a January 10, 2025 speech to the American Bar Association, then-Vice Chairman Travis Hill set out the agenda he would pursue as Acting Chairman, including 'a shift in supervisory attitude towards new technology.' He called for reinvigorating the FDiTech innovation lab, hiring staff with hands-on technology experience, and having the FDIC consider additional guidance on fintech partnerships, artificial intelligence, and digital assets and tokenization. The April 2026 model risk revision is the first AI-relevant deliverable from that agenda.

## At a glance

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Authority | [FDIC](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/fdic) |
| Type | Speech |
| Status | Final |
| Published | Jan 10, 2025 |
| Applies to | Statement of policy direction; no direct obligations |
| Official text | https://www.fdic.gov/news/speeches/2025/charting-new-course-preliminary-thoughts-fdic-policy-issues |

## Key points

- Delivered January 10, 2025 at the ABA Banking Law Committee meeting, ten days before Hill became Acting Chairman.
- Criticized the abandonment of FDiTech and called for its rejuvenation.
- Listed AI, fintech partnerships, and digital assets/tokenization as topics for additional FDIC guidance.
- Argued the FDIC should lay out expectations 'clearly and transparently on the front end' rather than regulating fintech partnerships through enforcement actions.
- Paired with a broader supervision-reform agenda focused on material financial risk rather than process.

## What changed for banks

It marked the FDIC's turn from a cautious, enforcement-led posture on bank-fintech and AI arrangements to an openly innovation-friendly one, and it is the origin of the expectation that FDIC AI guidance is coming.

## Use cases it governs

- [AI governance (general)](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#governance-general)
- [Generative & agentic AI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#generative-agentic-ai)
- [Third-party & vendor AI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/by-use-case#third-party-vendors)

## FAQ

### What did Travis Hill say about AI?

He identified AI as one of several areas — with fintech partnerships and digital assets — where the FDIC should consider issuing additional guidance, and called for reviving the FDiTech lab and hiring staff with hands-on technology experience.

### Has the FDIC issued AI guidance since?

Not AI-specific guidance. The concrete action so far is the April 17, 2026 revised interagency model risk management guidance (FIL-15-2026), which excludes generative and agentic AI from scope.

## Related documents

- [Hill House oversight testimony (Jun 2026)](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fdic-testimony-oversight-prudential-regulators-2026) — Statement of Chairman Travis Hill: Oversight of Prudential Regulators (Jun 4, 2026)
- [FDIC FIL-15-2026](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fdic-fil-15-2026) — Agencies Revise the Interagency Model Risk Management Guidance (Apr 17, 2026)
- [FDIC House testimony on AI and innovation (Mar 2026)](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fdic-testimony-innovation-speed-of-markets-2026) — Innovation at the Speed of Markets: How Regulators Keep Pace with Technology (Mar 26, 2026)
- [FDIC 2025 Report on Cybersecurity and Resilience](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fdic-cybersecurity-resilience-report-2025) — 2025 Report on Cybersecurity and Resilience (Jul 14, 2025)
- [FDIC 2024 Risk Review](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fdic-risk-review-2024) — 2024 Risk Review — Section 5: Operational and Cyber Risks (May 22, 2024)
- [FDIC FIL-29-2023](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fdic-fil-29-2023) — Interagency Guidance on Third-Party Relationships: Risk Management (Jun 6, 2023)
- [FDIC FIL-27-2021](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fdic-fil-27-2021) — Interagency Statement on Model Risk Management for Bank Systems Supporting BSA/AML and OFAC Compliance (Apr 9, 2021)
- [FDIC FIL-20-2021](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-regulation/documents/fdic-fil-20-2021) — Request for Information and Comment on Financial Institutions' Use of Artificial Intelligence, Including Machine Learning (Mar 29, 2021)

Last reviewed Aug 26, 2026. Cite the official text (https://www.fdic.gov/news/speeches/2025/charting-new-course-preliminary-thoughts-fdic-policy-issues) for the rule and this page for the summary and dates.

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