Data governance encompasses the organizational rules, roles, and processes that ensure data is managed correctly, completely, traceably, and securely. The three central roles are data owner (strategic responsibility), data steward (operational data quality), and data engineer (technical implementation).

In the financial sector, data governance is not a nice-to-have but a regulatory obligation. Supervisory authorities expect traceable data flows, documented data provenance, and verifiable data quality at all times. Without lived governance, financial services providers risk not only erroneous reports but also regulatory consequences.