Artificial Intelligence

AI in Finance: The Virtual Agents' Revolution

AI IN FINANCE: THE VIRTUAL AGENTS REVOLUTION. In a time of regulatory pressure, rising operational costs, and increasing client expectations, the finance industry is undergoing a profound shift. What used to be a cautious curiosity around AI has now become a strategic imperative. This was especially evident during IT VALUE PARTNER participation in VivaTech Paris 2025.

Artificial intelligence is now at the core of a major digital transformation trend, enabling financial institutions to navigate complexity, enhance resilience, and improve efficiency. This is not just about huge, historical investment banks or Silicon Valley's ubiquitous fintechs. Even mid-sized players like SIMs and SGRs, as well as young, fast-growing fintech firms, are starting to see digital transformation technologies - particularly AI - as critical to staying relevant.

🧭 How AI in Finance Can Make A Real Difference

The financial industry has always been data-driven and receptive to innovation. But in recent years, the volume and complexity of data have exploded far beyond the capacity of traditional systems and teams. At the same time, financial firms face three converging pressures:

• Regulatory complexity (DORA, ESG, MiFID, AML)

• Operational cost containment

• Clients' demand for hyper-personalization

In this context, AI in finance becomes a key enabler, helping firms shift from reactive to proactive, from manual to intelligent, and from fragmented to integrated.

🧠 Virtual Agents: Streamlining Banking Operations and Client Interaction

In the context of digital workplace transformation, virtual agents powered by AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) are becoming essential tools in modern banking environments. These intelligent systems go far beyond basic chatbots and studies show that they can dramatically enhance both internal efficiency and customer experience.

Here’s how virtual agents support financial institutions:

• Instant access to customer insights
  Virtual agents can instantly retrieve and summarize key customer information for bank employees - such as account status, transaction history, open requests, or credit score - directly within their internal dashboard. This means faster, more informed decisions during client interactions.

• Embedded Q&A support for customers
  Customers can receive accurate answers to routine questions (e.g., “What’s my available balance?”, “How do I update my contact details?”) directly from the bank’s online platforms or mobile app, without needing to speak to a human agent. The virtual agent handles the interaction but passes more complicated questions to a human operator when necessary.

• 24/7 Availability across channels
  These AI-driven assistants work round the clock across web, mobile, and even messaging platforms, ensuring clients can get help at any time, while reducing the burden on contact centers.

• Context-aware suggestions
  For bank staff, virtual agents can act like co-pilots, suggesting next best actions, notifying compliance issues, or prompting upselling opportunities based on customer profiles and behavior.

Ultimately, virtual agents help financial institutions save time, reduce operational costs, and deliver more responsive, personalized service: all while freeing up human teams to focus on value-added activities.

⚠️ Challenges: What AI in Finance Can't Solve Alone

Despite its potential, AI adoption isn’t plug-and-play. It brings challenges that must be acknowledged:

• Data quality: Poor or inconsistent data limits the value of even the best AI models.

• Interpretability: Financial decisions require trust. "Black box" AI is risky unless complemented with quality and explainability.

• Skill gaps: Many mid-sized firms lack the internal capabilities to deploy AI effectively.

In short: AI needs governance. It’s not just about the algorithm, but about aligning people, data, and strategy,  and companies should rely on experienced and trusted partners to help them integrate AI effectively into their existing systems.

💡 Final Thought: AI as a Technofinance Accelerator

The intersection of finance and tech - or technofinance - is one of the most exciting and transformative spaces in the digital economy. However, even the most sophisticated AI is not replacing professionals, but amplifying their capabilities.

Those who embrace artificial intelligence solutions the right way as part of their broader digital workplace transformation will:

• Work smarter.

• Comply faster.

• Compete stronger.

The firms that act now - with clarity, purpose and the right partner - will be those leading the next wave of financial innovation. 

📣 Want to Learn More?

At IT Value Partner, we help financial institutions integrate AI Virtual Agents within tailored digital transformation programs, combining strategic governance with technological innovation.

📩 Reach out to info@itvaluepartner.eu to explore how we can support your transformation journey.

by Enrico Benedetti