The future of financial security requires integrating artificial intelligence to automate defenses, urgently preparing for post-quantum cryptographic migration, and strengthening the resilience of the human factor. During an exclusive event organized by Acid Labs and Conecta, technology leaders from Mexico and LATAM established that current cybersecurity demands Zero Trust architectures and strict governance.
The speed of cyber threats in the financial sector has surpassed traditional response capabilities. To address this challenge and outline a clear roadmap towards secure digital transformation, Acid Labs, in partnership with Conecta, organized the event "AI, Cybersecurity, and the Post-Quantum Transition for the Financial System" at Casa Cent'anni, Mexico City.
This space brought together brilliant minds from the financial, technological, and cybersecurity ecosystems, featuring leaders such as Julio Velázquez (Google Cloud), Alejandra Lagunes (ANIA), Mary Pily Loo (CNBV), Zeus L. (Grupo Salinas), Carlos Bravo (Spin), Alejandro de los Santos (Banco de México), Gustavo Macias (Fincomún), Eduardo P. (Google Cloud Security), Sebastián Martín Del Guercio (Ciberia Tech), and Joksan Cruz (Acid Labs). Moderated by Jonathan G. Garzon (Cecoban) and supported by Google Cloud Security and DynamiCore, the event made it clear that technological resilience is no longer optional for companies in Chile, Mexico, and LATAM.
Artificial intelligence as a shield and vulnerability
Artificial intelligence represents a double-edged sword in modern technological infrastructure. Institutions must balance their ability to protect critical systems with the new attack vectors that this same technology introduces.
AI automation strengthens the defense of the financial sector
When attackers exploit vulnerabilities in a matter of minutes, manual processes are insufficient. According to Alejandro de los Santos (Banxico), organizations take an average of 35 days to remediate vulnerabilities. In light of this disparity, the only proportional response is to automate defense. Sebastián Martín Del Guercio (Ciberia Tech) reinforced this stance, pointing out that an Artificial Intelligence-driven Security Operations Center (SOC) allows for detections in seconds, eliminating the hours of waiting that cybercriminals take advantage of.
Risks of AI in cybersecurity
The implementation of unsupervised AI creates critical blind spots. Zeus L. (Grupo Salinas) presented an alarming fact about Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) attacks: poisoning just 5 documents in a database of millions can manipulate the responses of an AI model with a 97% success rate. To mitigate these risks, Julio Velázquez (Google Cloud Mexico) emphasized that the real current challenge is not the adoption of AI, but its governance. Companies need verified identity, controlled access, and complete traceability to integrate AI without disruptions.
The advancement of quantum computing poses a risk to current cryptographic systems
The advancement towards quantum computing demands a radical transformation in the way we protect data. Gustavo M. (Fincomún) warned that the entire cryptographic system that exists today will be affected by quantum computing.
To achieve a secure transition to the cloud and protect information, Carlos Bravo (Spin) emphasized the urgent need for a clear cryptographic inventory. Without knowing which algorithms protect which data, or their lifespan, any post-quantum migration strategy operates blindly. Bravo stressed that modern resilience is no longer measured by the likelihood of suffering an attack, but by the exact time it takes an organization to contain it. Companies must start generating post-quantum keys immediately.
Impact of the human factor on security gaps
Even the most advanced technological infrastructure has vulnerabilities if human behavior is not taken into account. Joksan Cruz (Acid Labs), while presenting the Synthetic Laboratory of Behavioral Resilience and Anti-Fraud, revealed that 62% of security breaches are due to human factors.
The problem lies in the lack of realistic testing. No current controls in financial institutions have been adequately tested with users under scenarios of pressure, urgency, or real deception. Cruz raised a critical reflection: if institutions simulate system failures with technical rigor, it is imperative to simulate "trust failures" with the same seriousness to truly optimize the experience and security of the end user.
How should financial security paradigms adapt?
The evolution of threats requires redesigning the security architecture from the ground up, establishing new standards for daily operations.
Zero Trust as a minimum operating condition
In ecosystems where autonomous agents access sensitive data and make real-time decisions, traditional perimeters disappear. Eduardo P. (Google) explained that each layer of the infrastructure should be treated as an independent perimeter. The Zero Trust model has ceased to be a mere theoretical concept and has become a non-negotiable minimum operating condition.
What will the new financial technology regulation require?
The regulation is advancing at the same pace as technology. Mary Pily Loo detailed that the developing regulations will require cryptographic identity for each autonomous agent, dynamic least privilege policies, and mandatory validation in controlled environments (sandbox) before going into production. Institutions must proactively prepare, as regulation does not follow innovation, but rather sits on top of it.
What stage of AI adoption is Mexico in?
The Latin American market is maturing rapidly. According to Julio Velázquez (Google Cloud Mexico), Mexico has already moved past the experimental stage with artificial intelligence and is now immersed in the phase of real applications. For technology leaders (CTOs) in LATAM, this means that the focus must be on scaling operational agility and ensuring secure digital growth. Isolated adoption no longer provides advantages; structured and secure integration is the only viable path.
Next steps for financial security
AI is an integral part of cybersecurity defense. The real challenge for medium and large companies in Chile, Mexico, and LATAM is to turn this technology into a real operational capability. The difference between merely experimenting and achieving a successful digital transformation lies in having expert support, a clear strategy, a robust architecture, and impeccable execution.
Acid Labs partners with companies in LATAM to drive this digital growth, ensuring secure cloud transitions and seamless technological solutions. If you are looking to modernize your company's operations and integrate artificial intelligence securely, the time to act is now.
