GMO Aozora Net Bank Deploys AI for Third-Party Management; Enhances Risk Governance with "Lens RM"
Lens, a provider of governance and risk management solutions, has deployed its third-party management cloud solution, "Lens RM," at GMO Aozora Net Bank. By incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into the increasingly complex risk assessment process associated with expanding startup transactions and its Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) business, the bank aims to achieve both operational efficiency and strengthened governance.
Branding itself as a "Technology Bank," GMO Aozora Net Bank has made startup support and embedded finance services central pillars of its strategy. While the bank prioritizes speed in developing new services, the management of a diverse range of alliance partners and contractors had become a challenge. Traditional, manual verification methods were leading to increased workloads and hindering the necessary sophistication of risk assessment.
The newly introduced "Lens RM" digitalizes the collection of security checks and compliance questionnaire responses from external contractors. Its defining feature is an AI-powered automated review function. By having AI screen responses from contractors, the bank expects to significantly reduce the man-hours required for preliminary verification.
This automation allows risk management personnel to concentrate resources on core tasks, such as high-level decision-making based on data and case studies, as well as constructive discussions with executive management. Furthermore, the system is expected to provide educational benefits for business department staff, such as those in system development, enabling them to acquire practical perspectives on IT controls and risk management through AI-driven feedback.
Takehiro Hagiwara, Deputy General Manager of the IT Coordination Group at GMO Aozora Net Bank, commented, "We decided to implement this system to build a rock-solid security management framework for transactions with various companies, including domestic and international startups." Shingo Fushimi, CEO of Lens, stated his intention to "explore the ideal form of contractor management in the AI era and refine our value proposition," aiming to establish this as a model case for Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) within financial institutions.
Lens successfully raised 844 million JPY in a seed round in February 2025 and is currently accelerating the adoption of its solutions among large enterprises, particularly within the financial sector.
Norbert Gehrke
