SecureCommunications: Why Financial Institutions Can’t Afford Blind Spots | SSH

In financial services, every conversation has consequences. Whether it’s discussing client portfolios, negotiating deals, or coordinating with regulators, communications are not just casual exchanges - they are records of accountability. This is why financial authorities around the world require institutions to monitor, capture, and preserve all business-related communications.

Yet despite the regulations, the industry keeps seeing headlines about banks being fined for failing to do so. Over the past few years, regulators have sanctioned some of the biggest global financial players for employees conducting business over unmonitored channels such as WhatsApp, Signal, and even personal email.

These cases weren’t just about “technical oversights” - they exposed deep gaps in control, governance, and compliance culture.

The hidden risk behind “shadow communications”

Financial professionals are under constant pressure to move fast. In this environment, it’s tempting to use convenient apps that everyone already has on their phones. But convenience comes at a cost:

• No visibility – communications on personal apps bypass compliance teams.
• No ownership – data is stored in third-party clouds, often outside sovereign control.
• No audit trail – messages can be deleted or go unrecorded, making it impossible to prove accountability later.

As regulatory statements and media coverage have shown, these gaps aren’t just theoretical risks. They lead to real financial penalties, reputational damage, and loss of client thrust. 

Compliance on paper vs. compliance in practice

Many institutions already have policies that prohibit shadow communications. But policies are only as strong as the systems that enforce them. When employees lack secure, user-friendly alternatives, they will find workarounds - and regulators are making it clear that “we didn’t know” is not an excuse.

This is where the conversation must shift from checking boxes to building resilient systems. True compliance means more than storing records; it requires communications to be:

• Secure – protected end-to-end, resistant to interception
• Sovereign – owned and controlled by the institution, not third parties
• Audit-ready – preserved in a way that satisfies regulators and internal governance

SalaX Secure Messaging: built for financial accountability

At SSH Communications Security, we created SalaX Secure Messaging precisely for this purpose. SalaX ensures that sensitive communications stay compliant without compromising on usability.

• End-to-end encryption with strong identity– Know exactly who you’re talking to. Every time
• Deployment flexibility – Host it on-premises or in a cloud with full ownership

By combining regulatory compliance with strong security and user-friendly design, SalaX Secure Messaging helps financial institutions eliminate blind spots and focus on what matters most: supporting clients with integrity and trust.

Try SalaX Secure Messaging for free

This year, we at SSH Communications Security are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol, invented by our founder, Tatu Ylönen. As part of the celebration, we are offering organizations the chance to try SalaX Secure Messaging free of charge until the end of 2025.

Start your free trial today >>>