RBI FREE-AI Compliance
Full RBI FREE-AI Framework compliance with automated enforcement is available in AxonFlow Enterprise. This page provides an overview of RBI requirements and how AxonFlow helps you comply.
Overview
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the Framework for Responsible and Ethical Enablement of AI (FREE-AI) in August 2025, establishing comprehensive governance requirements for AI systems used by regulated financial entities in India's banking sector.
AxonFlow provides built-in compliance features to help banks, NBFCs, and other RBI-regulated entities meet FREE-AI Framework requirements.
Regulatory Requirements
RBI FREE-AI Framework (2025)
The framework mandates:
- AI System Registry - All AI/ML systems must be registered with board approval before production deployment
- Risk Classification - Systems categorized as Low, Medium, or High risk based on use case
- Model Validation - Independent validation required for high-risk systems
- Incident Management - AI incident reporting with severity-based escalation to Board/RBI
- Kill Switch - Emergency mechanism to immediately halt AI operations
- Board Reporting - Quarterly and annual AI governance reports to the Board
- Audit Trail - 7-year retention of all AI decisions for regulatory inspection
- Human Oversight - Human-in-the-loop for high-risk decisions
Data Localization
RBI mandates that all payment data must be stored in India:
- Data residency within Indian borders
- Cross-border restrictions for sensitive financial data
- Audit accessibility for RBI inspectors
Community vs Enterprise Features
| Feature | Community | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Audit logging | ✅ | ✅ |
| Policy enforcement | ✅ | ✅ |
| PAN detection (pattern) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Aadhaar detection (pattern) | ✅ | ✅ |
| UPI ID detection | ✅ | ✅ |
| Basic PII redaction | ✅ | ✅ |
| Aadhaar Verhoeff validation | ✅ | |
| AI System Registry API | ✅ | |
| Model Validation tracking | ✅ | |
| Incident Management | ✅ | |
| Kill Switch (emergency stop) | ✅ | |
| Board Reporting API | ✅ | |
| 7-year audit retention | ✅ | |
| RBI audit export format | ✅ | |
| Compliance dashboard | ✅ |
India-Specific PII Detection
AxonFlow detects 11 India-specific PII types relevant to RBI compliance:
| PII Type | Severity | Community | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aadhaar (12-digit) | Critical | Pattern | + Verhoeff checksum |
| PAN (ABCDE1234F) | Critical | Pattern | + Entity validation |
| UPI ID (user@provider) | Critical | ✅ | ✅ |
| Bank Account Number | Critical | ✅ | ✅ |
| IFSC Code | High | ✅ | ✅ |
| GSTIN | High | ✅ | ✅ |
| Voter ID (EPIC) | High | ✅ | ✅ |
| Driving License | High | ✅ | ✅ |
| Indian Passport | High | ✅ | ✅ |
| Indian Mobile (+91) | High | ✅ | ✅ |
| Pincode (6-digit) | Medium | ✅ | ✅ |
Quick Start (Community)
Enable basic RBI compliance in Community edition:
# Policy configuration
policies:
- name: rbi-pii-detection
type: pii_detection
config:
enabled_types:
- aadhaar
- pan
- upi_id
- bank_account
action: block # or 'redact', 'log'
Enterprise Features
AI System Registry
Register and track all AI systems with board approval workflows:
# Register AI system
curl -X POST https://orchestrator:8081/api/v1/rbi/ai-systems \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"system_id": "credit-scoring-v2",
"system_name": "Credit Scoring Model",
"risk_category": "high",
"model_provider": "internal",
"use_case": "credit_decisioning"
}'
Kill Switch
Emergency mechanism to halt AI operations:
# Activate kill switch for specific system
curl -X POST https://orchestrator:8081/api/v1/rbi/killswitches \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"scope": "system",
"system_id": "credit-scoring-v2",
"reason": "Anomalous behavior detected",
"activated_by": "[email protected]"
}'
Board Reporting
Generate quarterly compliance reports:
# Generate Q4 2025 board report
curl -X POST https://orchestrator:8081/api/v1/rbi/reports \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"report_type": "quarterly",
"report_quarter": "2025-Q4"
}'
API Reference
Enterprise RBI compliance APIs:
| Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|
GET/POST /api/v1/rbi/ai-systems | AI System Registry |
GET/POST /api/v1/rbi/validations | Model Validation records |
GET/POST /api/v1/rbi/incidents | Incident Management |
GET/POST /api/v1/rbi/killswitches | Kill Switch control |
GET/POST /api/v1/rbi/reports | Board Reports |
GET/POST /api/v1/rbi/audit-exports | Audit data export |
GET /api/v1/rbi/policies/templates | RBI policy templates |
GET /api/v1/rbi/dashboard | Compliance dashboard |
Resources
- RBI FREE-AI Framework - Official RBI guidelines
- Enterprise Implementation Guide - Detailed enterprise documentation
- Banking Industry Example - Full banking deployment example
Get Enterprise
For full RBI FREE-AI Framework compliance:
- AWS Marketplace: Deploy AxonFlow Enterprise
- Contact Sales: [email protected]