AI In Finance Round II—Global Winners

Their stories reveal a dual strategy: democratization of AI through internal generative tools, empowering thousands of employees, and deployment in targeted, high-impact applications. Whether it’s Akbank revolutionizing the consumer experience with agentic, proactive assistance, or Citi leveraging AI as a co-pilot augmenting the work of its investment bankers, the common thread is a decade-long commitment to fostering a data-first culture, underpinned by a robust ethical framework.

These leaders demonstrate that the future of finance is inherently intelligent, driven by integrated and value-generating AI.

DBS Bank

Singapore’s DBS Bank has solidified its position as a global AI leader through unparalleled, bank-wide integration of AI, transforming its operations and generating substantial economic value. DBS quantifies the tangible impact at $750 million Singapore dollars (about US$573 million) in economic value in 2024, which it projects to exceed SG$1 billion this year, underscoring AI’s direct contribution to its bottom line.

DBS’ approach is both horizontal and vertical. A generative AI assistant in customer service reduces call handling time by up to 20%, for instance, while AI-powered financial advisory nudges customers to save and invest more. AI-powered risk management models are five times more effective than traditional methods at detecting credit risks and scam trends, the bank reports.

DBS’ success to date is rooted in a decade-long drive to build a data-first, start-up culture. In-house platforms like ADA and ALAN dramatically speed up AI model deployment. An ethical PURE (purposeful, unsurprising, respectful, and explainable) governance framework ensures responsible data use, building trust. Beginning in 2023, a dedicated Data Chapter of over 700 professionals has fostered a data-driven culture, and significant investment in talent and upskilling prepares employees for an AI-powered future.

DBS Bank

DBS’ strategic and comprehensive integration of AI has become a core business driver, streamlining processes and accelerating key operations for corporate and institutional clients. AI and GenAI have reduced KYC processing time by 33% and expedited corporate account opening. The bank also leverages AI for proactive risk management, reporting that it identifies over 95% of non-performing loans up to three months in advance, forestalling many small and midsize enterprise (SM) defaults.

DBS credits AI-powered personalization—specifically, personalized recommendations through predictive analytics—for a 29% increase in outward payments and higher current account and savings balances. The bank further integrates its services into partner operations via an extensive application programming interface (API) suite, handling over 900 million corporate API calls. Internally, data synthesis through DBS-GPT enables relationship managers to conduct more effective client conversations.

Akbank

Turkey’s Akbank earns Best Consumer AI Bank for 2025 honors based on its application of AI to deliver a highly personalized, proactive, and seamless digital banking experience, significantly boosting customer engagement and sales.

Agentic AI is revolutionizing customer service through automation of routine tasks and provision of personalized solutions. A prime example is Akbank Assistant, an AI-powered digital assistant providing what it terms “agentic conversational banking.” Assistant moves beyond the traditional chatbot model to proactively assist customers by, for instance, automatically increasing card limits to prevent payment failures and ensure a seamless experience. Akbank also uses AI and machine learning to provide hyper-personalized advice through features like Banking IQ, which generates intelligent insights into financial behavior—and receives an 86% customer satisfaction rate. A separate Proactive Assistant uses algorithms to anticipate client needs; its recommendations have spurred a 23% increase in sales, the bank reports.

Akbank’s AI strategy is validated by a 96% digital migration rate, with customers engaging with the mobile app an average of 30-plus times monthly. Assistant autonomously handles over 200 banking transactions and classifies over 1,000 customer intent types, significantly reducing call center burden and supporting internal staff with over 250,000 monthly requests.

Akbank’s builds its AI initiatives on an ethical framework guided by its Artificial Intelligence Manifesto, which emphasizes social benefit, sustainability, fairness, transparency, accountability, and data privacy, fostering customer trust vital for deep AI integration.

Citi

Citi’s strategic integration of AI within its investment banking operations is geared to augment human capital rather than replacing it, positioning AI as a powerful co-pilot that automates and streamlines complex, time-consuming tasks. The objective is to liberate bankers from repetitive, administrative burdens, redirecting their focus and expertise toward high-value activities.

To achieve this, Citi has developed and deployed a suite of internal GenAI tools, most prominently Citi Assist and Citi Stylus, across a significant portion of its workforce. These tools are revolutionizing research and analysis by rapidly summarizing vast amounts of financial documents, extracting key insights, and assisting analysts in efficiently navigating intricate internal policies and regulatory frameworks.

AI is also enhancing the rigor and speed of due diligence processes for complex M&A transactions. By intelligently scanning and analyzing multitudinous legal and regulatory documents, AI identifies potential risks, ensuring compliance and accelerating deal execution.

Beyond these critical front- and middle-office applications, AI is driving improvements in operational efficiency within Citi’s back-office functions, including automated reconciliation, fraud detection, and client onboarding. These enhancements not only reduce operational costs but bolster security and compliance across the board.

Beyond its internal operational benefits, Citi is leveraging AI to deliver increasingly valuable, personalized services to its diverse corporate and institutional client base. The research department harnesses AI capabilities to produce targeted content, anticipating client needs and providing bespoke insights. AI algorithms are instrumental in identifying emerging market trends, ranging from the pervasive impact of AI itself to geopolitical shifts and climate change. This proactive approach enables the bank to deliver timely, actionable insights in a personalized manner, providing clients with a competitive edge.

In the realm of wealth management, AI powers Advisor Insights, a feature that suggests timely and relevant engagement opportunities with high net worth clients. By proactively identifying opportunities for tailored advice or specialized service, AI helps increase customer satisfaction, fosters stronger client relationships, and ultimately improves client retention rates, solidifying Citi’s position as a forward-thinking financial partner.