By Ashutosh Uniyal, AVP – Financial Services, HCL Australia
Artificial intelligence (AI) is breaking new ground every day. So comes no surprise that AI is fast emerging as a crucial innovation driver in banking operations. It has been projected that by 2035, AI will boost the banking and financial services market by at least USD 1.2 trillion.
AI is already playing an instrumental role in saving costs for banks, and it is expected to be worth USD 447 billion by 2023, with the majority of the cost savings coming from wide use of AI in front- and middle-office operations.
AI is not only going to increase cost savings and value generation but it will also be pivotal in reshaping the banking landscape.
The number of smart devices is also growing along with fast and uninterrupted internet-connectivity. As a result, customer expectations are also growing. And growing fast.
To meet the ever-evolving customer expectations banks and financial services providers are perpetually redefining their products.
And it is right here where AI is expected to make a definitive value addition by bringing predictive analytics capabilities to the table.
AI-powered predictive analytics will enable banks and finserv enterprises to regularly revisit and rediscover their offerings, create suitable value propositions, and elevate customer experience (CX).
AI at the Heart of Digital Strategies
The relationship between financial institutions and their customers thrive on mutual trust and cooperation.
But when it comes to money, far-reaching changes are approached with extreme caution. Now with emergent technologies such as AI and automation, coupled with the global need for digital transformation, banks have reached a point where future-facing, proactive changes are no longer value additions but key differentiators.
In the race to stay ahead of the curve, banking solutions must factor in customer needs even before they are spelled out.
The conventional challenges faced by banks and their customers include long turnarounds, providing dynamic solutions, cybersecurity uncertainties, and oft-changing regulatory landscapes.
Now fintech solutions are aiding banks in their digital transformation initiatives while mitigating traditional banking challenges. To bridge the gap between business objectives and client expectations, banks must devise and execute robust digital strategies that aim to optimize AI. One of the main objectives for banks is to personalize their solutions to best suit their customers.
And with the amount of data being generated by customers on their smart devices, banks must deploy AI-enabled fintech solutions to develop usable customer insights.
With the overall analysis of client data through the smart APIs, social media entries and e-commerce spending, banks will have a greater clarity on the consumption patterns and spending habits of the customers.
These valuable insights form the foundations for the banks to design personalized offerings and services. For example, customers spending a considerable amount of money on restaurant meals and fuel would require solutions such as credit cards with benefits aimed at spends on fuel and restaurants.
Similarly, predictive analytics can provide more actionable insights on customers who might need a loan.
AI in banking also plays a crucial role in streamlining day-to-day operations, saving time and investment on infrastructure, and reducing risk.
The other areas where AI-enabled fintech can enhance banking operations include workforce recruitment, credit score propensity modeling, fraud detection and prevention, personal finance management, hedging, customer valuation, and even strategic marketing.
Predictive Analytics and Compliance
The global rise in data malpractice and cybercrime, alongside the increasing popularity of open banking, has caused serious concerns among banks and financial institutions.
This has resulted in regulatory bodies being always on their toes to prevent data leakage and ensure complete privacy. Banks are instructed to keep their cybersecurity initiatives updated with the help of watertight security measures, such as anti-money laundering and know-your-customer practices.
Data security worries have been further compounded by open banking regulations such as Payment Service Directive II (PSD2), which mandates banks to allow third-party service providers to access their IT infrastructure to design personalized products.
In that situation, banks and financial institutions are perpetually stuck in the wondering if secure is secure enough.
AI-powered predictive analytics steps up in such catch-22 situations and enables the banking industry to navigate the changing landscape.
Smart algorithms can scan all available data in the open banking ecosystem to check for discrepancies and suspicious transactions. The intelligent capabilities of AI are particularly useful in processing unstructured, third-party data to identify malicious transactions.
Fluid data visualization helps organizations swiftly analyse complex data sets and recognize flaws that may have deceived human eyes.
With AI playing a crucial role in enterprises ensuring know-your-customer and customer-due-diligence policies, the cost of compliance, too, reduces for banks and finserv companies.
As we transition to a new paradigm of digital banking and financial services, AI will be a crucial tool for the banking industry. It has the potential to not only increase the number of satisfied customers but also play a critical role for banks to achieve their long-term business objectives with ease. AI will transform the future of banking as we know it.
Original Article: https://www.hcltech.com/blogs/artificial-intelligence-revolutionizing-banking-predictive-analytics
