Financial inclusion in banking through artificial intelligence: PwC

Canoe ensures that alternate investments data, like documents on venture capital, art and antiques, hedge funds and commodities, can be collected and extracted efficiently. The company’s platform uses natural language processing, machine learning and meta-data analysis to verify and categorize a customer’s alternate investment documentation. Enova uses AI and machine learning in its lending platform to provide advanced financial analytics and credit assessment. The company aims to serve non-prime consumers and small businesses and help solve real-life problems, like emergency costs and bank loans for small businesses, without putting either the lender or recipient in an unmanageable situation. Big-data-enhanced fraud prevention has already made a significant impact on credit card processes, as noted above, and in areas such as loan underwriting, as discussed below. By looking at customer behaviors and patterns instead of specific rules, AI-based systems help banks practice proactive regulatory compliance, while minimizing overall risk.

Banks must determine how much risk any given scenario presents, but factors like credit scores aren’t always reliable metrics. AI can improve these processes by analyzing a broader range of factors to make more informed decisions. With tools like this, banks can respond to potential cyber attacks before they affect employees, customers, or internal systems.

Darktrace’s AI, machine learning platform analyzes network data and creates probability-based calculations, detecting suspicious activity before it can cause damage for some of the world’s largest financial firms. Here are a few examples of companies using AI to learn from customers and create a better banking experience. Additionally, 41 percent said they wanted more personalized banking experiences and information.

• Ally has been in the banking industry for over 100 years, but has embraced the use of AI in its mobile banking application.
• For example, business customers might not be aware of merchant services and loan offerings that can help resolve payment or credit issues.
• Some data might be more readily available for more digitally active or higher-income individuals, creating potential for discrimination.
• We estimate regional banks entering a new geographic market can now rely on about 80% fewer branches than they would have considered just five years ago.

The bank saw a rapid decrease in email attacks and has since used additional Darktrace solutions across its business. A Vectra case study provides an overview of its work to help a prominent healthcare group prevent security attacks. Vectra’s platform identified behavior resembling an attacker probing the footprint for weaknesses and disabled the attack. Having good credit makes it easier to access favorable financing options, land jobs and rent apartments.

AI and Banking

Firstly let’s briefly brush up on our understanding of the concept of Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence, in layman’s terms, is basically the simulation or imitation of human intelligence to use it in machines and program them to think in terms of humans and to mimic their actions. But AI isn’t just about the numbers; it’s about the ethos and principles organizations use as well. In NVIDIA’s 2023 report, 72 percent of respondents said their company understood the ethical issues surrounding AI.

• Financial organizations have a leg up in taking advantage of AI, said Martha Bennett, a principal analyst at Forrester Research who specializes in emerging technologies.
• Building the AI bank of the future will allow institutions to innovate faster, compete with digital natives in building deeper customer relationships at scale, and achieve sustainable increases in profits and valuations in this new age.
• So many of life’s necessities hinge on credit history, which makes the approval process for loans and cards important.
• What really differentiates experience leaders is how they integrate new talent in traditional team structures and unlock the full potential of these capabilities, in the context of business problems.

A core advantage in using AI models is they’re better suited to handle larger amounts of data, even if it’s poorly structured. Some models might consider over 500 variables, working to detect hidden interactions across these data elements to provide the insights and predictions for decision-making. These same digital tools can be used to connect with otherwise neglected communities to increase access to financial services. Digital financial services have shown great promise at lowering costs to increase access and might be the only way banks can deepen inclusion and make the economics work. In our work with banks over the past year, we’ve come to recognize that the strategic changes brought about in 2020 can help address barriers to financial inclusion. Many institutions are rethinking how consumers access their networks, how technology can help meet customer needs and how to manage risk.

The power of digital and AI to help provide affordable credit without sacrificing profitability

This is especially in cases of banks where 24/7 availability and swift transaction are required. AI, therefore, assists in ensuring that the banking transactions flow smoothly and effortlessly. This is done through the development of various AI-powered features such as chatbots and biometrics. AI’s predictive analytics and machine learning allow for inconsistencies in large-scale data sets to be traced in seconds. Of course, when incorporating new data in the decisioning process it’s important to identify new potential risks. Some data might be more readily available for more digitally active or higher-income individuals, creating potential for discrimination.

Banks could train chatbots to provide investment information and assist users in making informed investment decisions. Proactive governance can drive responsible, ethical and transparent AI usage, which is critical as financial institutions handle vast amounts of sensitive data. Building the AI bank of the future iirc and sasb form the value reporting foundation will allow institutions to innovate faster, compete with digital natives in building deeper customer relationships at scale, and achieve sustainable increases in profits and valuations in this new age. We hope the following articles will help banks establish their vision and craft a road map for the journey.

Institute formal top-down mechanisms to support coordination across traditional product and channel silos.

The 2000s saw broad adoption of 24/7 online banking, followed by the spread of mobile-based “banking on the go” in the 2010s. As the Bank Policy Institute points out, conventional credit underwriting systems “serve less well other creditworthy consumers who are unbanked or under-banked.” AI, on the other hand, can analyze more data from more diverse sources in less time. It can then offer a better picture of someone’s creditworthiness, without the biases and limits of traditional systems. As technology has made banking more accessible, it’s also opened the door for increased fraud to take advantage of these services. Machine learning, which is typically faster and more accurate than humans at connecting data points, is a way to identify fraud.

Reimagining customer engagement for the AI bank of the future

According to a survey from The Economist Intelligence Unit, 77% of bankers believe that the ability to unlock the value of AI will be the difference between the success or failure of banks. In a 2021 McKinsey survey, 56% of respondents report AI usage in at least one function of their organizations. According to a North Highland survey (via Consulting.us), 87% of leaders surveyed perceived CX as a top growth engine. Emplify research found that 86% of consumers would leave a brand they were previously loyal to if they had just two or three bad customer service experiences. An Accenture study from 2018 found that 91% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that recognize, recall and provide relevant offers and recommendations. As we will explain, when these interdependent layers work in unison, they enable a bank to provide customers with distinctive omnichannel experiences, support at-scale personalization, and drive the rapid innovation cycles critical to remaining competitive in today’s world.

Each layer has a unique role to play—under-investment in a single layer creates a weak link that can cripple the entire enterprise. The 24/7 availability of chatbots lets banks serve their clients at any time despite potential worker shortages. This improved accessibility helps banks provide higher customer satisfaction and generate loyalty. Since these systems become more accurate with larger data sets, they become better the longer banks use them. As more institutions implement AI fraud detection, fraud should become less successful. AI contributes by offering complex data analysis, automation of manual compliance processes like “Know Your Customer” (KYC).

Likewise, self-serve journeys can offer prompt access to assistance through chatbots, with the ability to shift instantaneously and seamlessly to a live video chat with a service representative or adviser as soon as the request exceeds machine capabilities. Equally important is the design of an execution approach that is tailored to the organization. To ensure sustainability of change, we recommend a two-track approach that balances short-term projects that deliver business value every quarter with an iterative build of long-term institutional capabilities. Furthermore, depending on their market position, size, and aspirations, banks need not build all capabilities themselves. They might elect to keep differentiating core capabilities in-house and acquire non-differentiating capabilities from technology vendors and partners, including AI specialists. Over several decades, banks have continually adapted the latest technology innovations to redefine how customers interact with them.

As banks increase their reliance on ML to provide predictive analytics, they will need to meet new regulatory and interconnectivity demands. Data is swiftly integrated by AI algorithms through multiple systems in real-time, both efficiently and precisely. Through different rule sets, the machine learning models can examine behavior patterns and decipher the possibilities of risk the bank is exposed to.