AI In Banking - Vinh Tran, VP Data & AI, RBC

In this episode, Vinh Tran—VP of Data and AI Platforms at RBC and an RBC Fellow—shares how one of the world's largest banks is approaching AI at enterprise scale.

Key Takeaways

"You have to control AI in order to scale it." Vinh explains that governance isn't about going slow—it's about building confidence. RBC invests heavily upfront in platforms, guardrails, and standardization so they can then open the doors and scale with assurance.

The Control Plane Approach: RBC has built a comprehensive AI control plane that includes:

• A centralized LLM gateway controlling which models can be used (currently 6-8 rigorously validated models)
• An MCP gateway for managing agent-to-tool connections with proper authentication
• A controlled runtime environment for monitoring agent behavior at the transport level
• An agent registry for inventory management and lifecycle control

00:00 Introduction to AI in Banking

02:01 The Role of AI in Enhancing Customer Experience

04:03 Governance and Compliance in AI Models

08:53 Control Plane: Ensuring Safe AI Deployment

14:53 Control Plane for Scaling AI

20:47 AI Guardrails

26:05 AI Agents and Standards

32:20 Predictions for the future

36:34 Advice for Aspiring Technologists