Cardo AI Extends SOC 2 Compliance and Showcases Research on Shifting European SME Securitization

Cardo AI featured a security- and research-heavy week, underscoring its role as an AI-driven fintech platform for private credit and structured finance. The company announced completion of its latest SOC 2 Type II audit, extending an initial certification from March 2024 and reinforcing controls around client data protection as it scales.

Cardo AI also disclosed the hiring of Ben Wright as a senior security and compliance leader, bringing experience across SaaS, cloud infrastructure, and regulated environments. His mandate centers on risk management, SOC 2 readiness, and security operations, aiming to keep the firm’s posture aligned with evolving financial and regulatory standards.

In parallel, Cardo AI released new research highlighting a sharp drop in traditional true-sale SME asset-backed securities issuance in Europe, from €158 billion to €68 billion in the first three quarters of 2025. The company argues this decline signals a structural shift in how SME credit risk is packaged, with increased use of synthetic risk transfer and bespoke capital-markets solutions.

The firm’s analysis stresses the importance of loan-level performance data to understand SME credit dynamics in this changing market. By emphasizing granular analytics for securitization and structured finance, Cardo AI is positioning its technology as critical infrastructure for banks, originators, and investors navigating more complex deal structures.

These developments collectively point to a week focused on strengthening operational resilience while deepening thought leadership in European SME securitization. Enhanced security credentials and specialized analytics capabilities could support Cardo AI’s ability to serve more compliance-sensitive institutions and reinforce its competitive standing in data-intensive, regulated markets.