Skip to main content
The 2026 Risk Checklist: How We Use AI With Real Guardrails
January 19, 2026 at 1:30 AM
**AI Image Generation Prompt:**

Create a realistic high-resolution photo focusing on a financial advisor conducting a risk assessment. The main subject, a middle-aged man with short, dark hair, is seated at a modern desk with a sleek laptop open in front of him. He is dressed in a crisp white shirt and a navy blazer, exuding professionalism and confidence. 

The background features a well-organized office space with soft lighting, highlighting a large window that lets in natural light, showcasing the Zuric

At the start of every year, we do the same thing before we scale exposure or introduce changes: we run a full risk review.

Markets change. Liquidity changes. Correlations change. What worked last year can break quickly. The goal of this review is not to “predict” the year. It is to make sure every strategy we run has clear limits, clear monitoring, and clear accountability.

When you log into our platform, you’ll see four environments:

  • AI-Powered Trading
  • Classic CFD Trading
  • Arbitrage Trading
  • Earn Interest

Different tools, different objectives, different risks. The one thing they share is this: we treat risk like a first-class product feature, not an afterthought.

Below is the checklist we use at the beginning of the year to stress-test each strategy before we deploy capital.

A quick note on AI

AI is powerful, but it is not magic. We use it to improve speed, consistency, and detection. We do not use it as a substitute for governance.

In practical terms, that means AI helps with things like:

  • scanning large amounts of market data and detecting changes in conditions
  • ranking opportunities based on defined criteria
  • flagging outliers or abnormal behavior early
  • monitoring patterns that humans can miss when markets move fast

But AI does not get a blank cheque. Strategy changes, sizing, and exposure decisions operate inside rules that are defined and reviewed by a team.

The 12-point risk checklist we run each January

1) Mandate fit

Before anything else, we define the job: growth, income, hedging, or tactical trading. We match the strategy to the client’s objective, time horizon, and drawdown tolerance.

If a strategy does not fit the mandate, it does not matter how “good” it looks on paper.

2) Exposure limits

Every strategy has caps. Limits by instrument, sector, theme, and overall portfolio exposure exist for a simple reason: no single idea should be able to dominate the outcome.

We also define what “too concentrated” looks like and we enforce it.

3) Liquidity and exit planning

We plan the exit before the entry.

This includes normal market conditions and stress conditions. We look at how quickly positions can be reduced without unacceptable slippage, and we avoid building positions that only work if liquidity stays perfect.

4) Scenario stress tests

We stress-test portfolios across regimes, not just one base case.

Examples include rate shocks, volatility spikes, equity drawdowns, FX moves, and correlation breaks. The point is to understand what hurts and how quickly it hurts.

5) Counterparty and venue review

Where risk sits matters.

We review counterparties, venues, and operational dependencies. Concentration is managed so that an issue in one place does not become a platform-wide problem.

6) Execution quality controls

Even a strong strategy can be ruined by poor execution.

We monitor spreads, slippage, and fill quality. If execution quality deteriorates, the system should not keep trading at the same size out of habit. It should step down.

7) AI model risk checks

This is the part most platforms skip, and it is where problems start.

We review what data is used, what the model is designed to do, and what it is not designed to do. We also enforce version control and change discipline. If a model changes, we document it, review it, and validate it before it affects client capital.

8) Human oversight and approval rules

Some decisions should never be “silent.”

We use AI for insight and detection, but the responsibility sits with people. Strategy adjustments and parameter changes follow a defined approval process.

9) Real-time monitoring and circuit breakers

Risk control has to work when things are moving fast.

We use drawdown triggers, exposure alerts, and abnormal behavior detection. If conditions break expectations, we reduce risk. If the environment becomes unstable, we pause.

10) Strategy integrity checks for arbitrage

Arbitrage is often described as low risk. In reality, it is low risk only when monitoring is relentless.

We track edge stability, latency sensitivity, venue reliability, and fill probability. If spreads compress or execution becomes inconsistent, we do not force it. We step back.

11) Reporting and transparency

Good reporting is risk management.

Clients should understand what drove performance, what risks were taken, and where exposure sits. We focus on clarity. If you need a translator to understand the report, the report is not good enough.

12) Security and data protection

Security is part of risk. Full stop.

We use access controls, encryption, and strict permissions. We also limit access internally based on role, because trust is not just about technology. It is about process.

How this checklist shows up in each part of the platform

AI-Powered Trading

This environment is designed for signal support and fast detection.

Where AI helps

  • scanning for opportunity sets across markets
  • identifying shifts in volatility and trend conditions
  • ranking setups based on defined constraints
  • flagging anomalies early so we can investigate quickly

Where guardrails matter

  • hard caps on exposure and position sizing
  • volatility filters that reduce risk when conditions change
  • limits on daily loss and drawdown thresholds
  • controlled change management for strategy parameters

AI is a tool in the workflow. The rules and accountability sit with the team.

Classic CFD Trading

This environment is built for traders who want a traditional toolkit with clear execution.

Primary risks

  • leverage and margin pressure
  • overnight and event gap risk
  • correlated exposure that looks diversified but is not

Controls we focus on

  • leverage ceilings by instrument and account type
  • margin buffers and automated de-risking rules
  • event-risk awareness and exposure limits around major releases
  • execution monitoring that flags spread deterioration

CFDs can be effective when used responsibly. The risk comes from treating leverage casually.

Arbitrage Trading

This environment focuses on relative pricing opportunities and execution discipline.

Primary risks

  • execution risk and inconsistent fills
  • spread compression and unstable edges
  • venue health issues and latency sensitivity

Controls we focus on

  • minimum edge thresholds that must be met before trading
  • slippage limits and auto-pause rules
  • venue reliability checks and routing discipline
  • size controls that prevent overfitting to “perfect conditions”

Arbitrage is not “set and forget.” It is monitor, verify, and scale only when the edge is real.

Earn Interest

This environment is designed for clients who want a more stable approach and prefer defined terms.

Primary risks

  • counterparty concentration
  • liquidity constraints depending on the term
  • mismatch between what clients expect and what the product actually is

Controls we focus on

  • exposure caps by partner and by term
  • term laddering to avoid locking everything at once
  • clarity on redemption terms and liquidity expectations
  • ongoing monitoring of partner health indicators

The priority here is straightforward communication. Clients should know exactly what they are choosing: the terms, the constraints, and the trade-offs.