Questions and answers
The questions firms, counsel and readers ask Fijishi most, answered in plain words. Each answer links to the page with the detail. Anything not answered here: write to protocol@fijishi.com, and a founder replies within 5 business days.
About Fijishi · What Fijishi certifies · Rules and jurisdictions · Working with Fijishi · The finding and the certificate · For your role · The Index, the Calendar and the drafts · Contact
About Fijishi
What is Fijishi?
An independent certification organisation for AI and automated decisions. It certifies whether one named AI decision meets the rule that binds it, and whether the firm can show who was accountable for it and who could stop it. It also publishes free public reference work: the Fijishi Jurisdiction Index and the Regulatory Deadline Calendar.
Who does the work?
Fijishi is led by its two founders, Akhil Sharma and Preethi Sharma, and both of them examine and sign every finding. There is no hand-off to junior staff and no sales layer. Fijishi is based in Pune, India, and was incorporated in May 2023. Founders
Who owns Fijishi?
Fijishi is owned by its two founders, Akhil Sharma and Preethi Sharma, and is funded by them alone. It has no outside investors, so no insurer, AI company or fund has a stake in it.
Is Fijishi a regulator, or approved by one?
No, and that independence is what gives a finding its weight. Fijishi is not a government body and works for no regulator, so a finding is independent evidence that a firm can put before a regulator, a court or an insurer, and every point in it can be checked against the evidence behind it. A finding is evidence, not regulatory approval.
Is Fijishi accredited?
Fijishi certifies under its own published method, set out in How certification works: the rule is named at intake, each element of it is examined separately, every point is traced to its evidence, at least one decision is reconstructed from the firm's own record, and both founders must agree before they sign. Any reader can check how a finding was reached. Fijishi's certificates are not issued under an accreditation scheme and are not ISO certificates.
Is a Fijishi certificate an EU AI Act conformity assessment?
It answers a different question. Under the EU AI Act, a high-risk system's conformity is assessed before it is placed on the market, by its provider or, for some systems, by a notified body. A Fijishi certificate examines how one decision is made, and can be stopped, in use, against the rule that binds it: independent evidence a firm can add to its own conformity work. It is not itself a conformity assessment under the EU AI Act, or under any other law that requires a designated body.
What makes Fijishi independent?
Fijishi sells no insurance, builds or sells no AI, and does no consulting work, so it has nothing to gain from what a finding says. Every fee is fixed before any work begins and does not depend on the finding. Fijishi does not certify a system it helped design or build, and pays or accepts no referral fees. Governance
Does Fijishi work for regulators or governments?
No, by rule. Fijishi does not sell or pitch to any regulator or government the Index covers, and does not send the Index to them unasked.
Why act now?
Rules on AI decisions already apply to insurers and banks in many jurisdictions, and more take effect each year; the Regulatory Deadline Calendar lists them with their dates and sources. A finding before a rule applies, or before an examination, lets a firm put right what it needs on its own timetable, rather than on a regulator's.
What Fijishi certifies
What question does a Fijishi finding answer?
For one named AI decision: does it meet the rule that binds it, and can the firm show who was accountable for it and who could stop it?
What can a firm ask for?
Fijishi Certification: the Kill-Switch Certificate (one system against one override or human-review requirement) and the Baseline Review (one system against one standard in force, criterion by criterion). Fijishi Procurement Review: one AI contract, read for override, IP and upgrade independence. Fijishi Portfolio Screening and Fijishi Deal Review for investors. Fijishi Juris: forensic case support for counsel when an AI decision is disputed.
How is this different from an ISO/IEC 42001 certificate?
They answer different questions, and work together. An ISO/IEC 42001 certificate shows that an organisation manages AI through a documented system. A Fijishi finding shows whether one named decision meets the rule that binds it, on one date. A firm can hold both, and Fijishi accepts a 42001 certificate as evidence.
How is it different from model testing or a bias audit?
Testing and bias audits examine how a model performs or whether its outcomes are fair, against their own criteria. Fijishi examines whether a decision meets a binding rule, and who can stop it. A certificate says plainly that it makes no statement about a model's accuracy or fairness. Fijishi accepts test results and audit reports as evidence.
Is a finding legal advice?
A finding states what one named system showed against one requirement on the date of issue. It is not legal advice and does not guarantee how a regulator, a court or an insurer will decide. A firm's own counsel advises on what to do with it.
Does every system pass?
No, and that is what gives a certificate its value: a regulator, a court or an insurer knows it was earned. Where a system does not meet the requirement, the finding says exactly what would need to change, and the firm learns it privately, before anyone else asks. The finding belongs to the client, and Fijishi does not publish it. The Kill-Switch Certificate page shows an illustrative finding that does not meet its requirement.
Rules and jurisdictions
Which rules does Fijishi measure against?
A rule or standard that applies to the system, named at intake: for example an AI rule from an insurance or banking regulator, or a data-protection rule on decisions based solely on automated processing. Never Fijishi's own view, and never Fijishi's own draft criteria.
Can Fijishi certify against a rule that is not yet in force?
Yes, as a readiness finding. A Kill-Switch Certificate can measure against a regulator's published draft rule, or a rule adopted but not yet in application, so a firm knows where it stands before the date; the finding says so. A Baseline Review measures only against a standard in force.
Our jurisdiction is not in the Index. Can we still engage Fijishi?
Yes. The Index covers AI in insurance decisions in 34 jurisdictions. A certificate can be measured against any rule or standard that applies to the system, wherever the firm operates.
Can one engagement cover several countries?
Yes. One engagement can cover a system used in several jurisdictions. The scope names each requirement, and the finding states the result against each one separately.
We are a bank, not an insurer. Is Fijishi for us?
Yes. Fijishi certifies credit, fraud, anti-money-laundering, KYC and collections decisions against the rules that bind them. The Index covers insurance; the Calendar covers financial-services decisions, including banking rules.
What if the rule changes after we are certified?
A certificate stays tied to the text it was measured against, so no one mistakes it for a finding on the new rule. If the change is material, the certificate ends early, and a finding against the new text is a new engagement. The Regulatory Deadline Calendar shows, with dates, the changes that are coming, so a firm can plan for them.
Working with Fijishi
How do we start?
Write to protocol@fijishi.com with the AI system or contract, the decisions it is used in, the rule it must meet if you know it, and any deadline. We reply within 5 business days. If you are not sure which fits, describe the system and the rule, and we confirm the right scope at intake. Start an engagement
Does intake cost anything?
No. Intake has no fee. We confirm the scope, the turnaround and the fee in writing before any work begins, and work starts only once you agree them. If Fijishi is not the right fit, we tell you directly.
Will you sign a non-disclosure agreement?
Yes. We sign a non-disclosure agreement before any material is shared. Everything a client provides is confidential and is used only for that engagement.
How is the fee set?
Each fee is fixed in writing at intake, before any work begins, based on the scope: for example the system's complexity and the standard applied. It does not depend on the finding. There is no subscription and no open-ended retainer.
How long does it take?
An engagement is scoped for three to six weeks from agreed scope to finding; a Kill-Switch Certificate for 1-2 weeks once documentation is provided. The time is confirmed at intake, and we aim to start within two weeks of agreed scope.
What do you need from us?
One named contact and one technical lead who knows the system; two to four working sessions of about 90 minutes each; and read access to the system's documentation and to samples of its decisions, or, for a Procurement Review, to the contract and its annexes. Most of the work is ours.
Do you need our source code or model?
No. We do not ask for a model's source code or weights. Your team keeps ownership of its systems and data.
What happens to our customers' personal data?
We ask for records with customers' personal details removed wherever the examination allows. Where personal data is needed, the engagement letter sets how it is held, where and for how long.
Do you work on site or remotely?
Both. Work is remote by default. Where on-site sessions are needed, the travel is agreed at intake and included in the fixed fee.
In which language are findings written?
Findings are written in English, which is the version that governs. A translation into Arabic, Chinese (Simplified or Traditional), Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Spanish or Thai, or into any of the 22 languages of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India, such as Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu, can be provided on request, labelled as a translation, with its fee fixed at intake. We can also work from a client's documents in these languages.
In which currency are fees invoiced?
In Indian rupees, US dollars, pounds sterling, euros, UAE dirhams, Saudi riyals, Singapore dollars or another major currency agreed at intake.
Are taxes added to the fee?
The fee agreed at intake is stated before taxes. For clients in India, GST is added to the invoice as the law requires. For clients outside India, Fijishi's work is normally an export of services, on which Indian GST is not charged; any tax that applies in the client's own country follows that country's law, and the engagement letter sets how it is handled.
Which law applies, and what is Fijishi's liability?
Indian law applies, and Fijishi's liability is capped at the fee paid for the engagement. Both are set out in the engagement letter.
The finding and the certificate
What do we receive?
One written finding, signed by both founders: what met the requirement, what did not, and what would need to change, with each point traced to its evidence. See an example certificate.
Who owns the finding?
The client owns it outright and may share it whole – with its board, reinsurer, auditors or customers – with its date and the requirement it was measured against. There is no ongoing dependency on Fijishi to interpret or maintain it. Anyone the client shares it with reads it under the same limits; Fijishi's duty is to the client named on it, under the engagement letter.
Can we have a summary for our board?
Yes. A short plain-language summary for the board or audit committee can be added at intake, fixed in scope and fee with the finding.
Does Fijishi publish our finding?
No. Fijishi does not publish a client's finding without the client's written agreement. It confirms a certificate only to someone who gives its number.
What if the finding says we do not meet the requirement?
The finding becomes the firm's own plan: it says exactly what would need to change. The firm decides what to do with it, in private. Once the change is made, the firm may engage Fijishi again for a new finding, with its own fixed fee.
How long is a certificate valid?
A certificate is dated and valid for one year, or until the system or the requirement changes materially, whichever comes first. Renewal is a new engagement with its own fixed fee.
How can anyone check a certificate?
Write to protocol@fijishi.com with the certificate number. We confirm only the number, the client, the system and the dates, and whether it is current, lapsed or withdrawn.
What if we disagree with a finding?
A client may appeal in writing to protocol@fijishi.com within 30 days of the finding's issue, with any further evidence. The appeal has no fee and is answered in writing, with reasons, within 30 days; the finding then stands or is reissued. Governance
Can a certificate be withdrawn?
Yes, which protects every honest holder. A certificate is withdrawn if it is shown altered or in part, or after the system or the requirement has changed materially.
For your role
Insurers, Lloyd's managing agents, takaful operators, MGAs and claims administrators
A Kill-Switch Certificate or Baseline Review on the AI that prices, underwrites or decides claims, against the rule that binds it.
Reinsurers and capacity providers
A review of an AI system a cedant or coverholder uses, with that firm's written agreement. The reviewed firm is treated as a Fijishi client, so Fijishi Juris never acts against it. Fijishi Certification
Boards, audit committees and internal audit
An independent finding on one named AI decision, with the evidence behind it, to put before the board or the audit committee.
Banks, lenders and credit bureaus
A Kill-Switch Certificate or Baseline Review on credit, fraud, anti-money-laundering, KYC or collections decisions, against the rules that bind them.
Buyers of AI systems
A Fijishi Procurement Review before or after signing. Fijishi never takes a Procurement Review fee from the vendor whose contract it reads, and never reviews, for a buyer, the contract for a product it has certified.
AI vendors and scoring firms
A certificate on your own system, measured against a requirement your customers face, which you may share whole and your customers can check by number. It covers that one system against that one requirement, nothing more. Kill-Switch Certificate
Investors and deal teams
Fijishi Portfolio Screening: one portfolio, read from public evidence; no company is ranked, scored or rated, and it is not a rating or investment advice. Fijishi Deal Review: a target's named AI systems before a deal, with the target's written agreement; the fee does not depend on whether the deal goes ahead.
Counsel
Fijishi Juris supports licensed counsel acting for a firm, on one named matter. It does not practise law or appear as counsel. It does not act against a current Fijishi client, or against a company named in the Index on the subject of its entry. Counsel are welcome to write simply to understand what Juris does.
Brokers and advisers
You may point a client to Fijishi; the client engages us directly. No referral fee is paid or accepted, either way.
Researchers, journalists and associations
The Index, the Calendar and the drafts are free to read and may be cited with attribution. Questions about them are welcome at protocol@fijishi.com.
Groups with firms in several countries
One engagement can cover a system used across the group, with a separate finding against each jurisdiction's rule.
The Index, the Calendar and the drafts
What is the Fijishi Jurisdiction Index?
A public reading of AI in insurance decisions: 38 entries across 34 jurisdictions, first published on 12 October 2026, with a new edition each year on the second Monday of October. It does not rank jurisdictions or companies against each other. Fijishi Jurisdiction Index
Can anyone pay to appear in the Index, or to change an entry?
No. No one pays to appear in the Index, and no one can pay to change an entry. Corrections are made only on public documents that anyone can check, and are public, dated and logged in Corrections and new evidence.
Our company is named in the Index. What happens?
Fijishi's first contact with a named company is a notice of its entry, its question and the right of reply, and nothing commercial. Corrections, new evidence and replies go to indexreport.protocol@fijishi.com. Who we are, independence and right of reply
Can a company named in the Index engage Fijishi?
Yes. Each Index entry states any commercial relationship Fijishi has with a party named in it, and an engagement never changes an entry.
What is the Regulatory Deadline Calendar?
A dated list, with sources, of the AI rules in force, the rules coming and the drafts still pending for financial-services decisions. Regulatory Deadline Calendar
What are Fijishi's draft criteria?
Working drafts on AI decisions, developed in public. None is a standard. FWD-1 Stopping an AI decision is open for public comment until 15 January 2027. Anyone may comment; comments and our responses are published with each commenter's agreement; no one can pay to change a draft, and no draft is changed for a client. Standards in development
Can we cite or reuse the Index?
Yes, with attribution. The Index is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 (CC BY-ND 4.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23222476. For licensing or reproduction requests, write to protocol@fijishi.com.
Contact
Where do we write?
Engagements and general enquiries: protocol@fijishi.com. Index corrections, new evidence and right of reply: indexreport.protocol@fijishi.com. We reply within 5 business days.