On this page, you’ll find a curated collection of key takeaways and analyst insights that capture the spirit and substance of this virtual roundtable event. We invite you to dive in and experience the bold, unfiltered thinking that defines HFS Research.

Highlights from this executive roundtable

HFS Research and Infosys brought together a group of senior Banking and Financial Services (BFS) executives to discuss what it takes to move beyond experimentation and become AI-first in their industry.

The discussion focused on how BFS firms can design an AI strategy that helps them embed AI deep within their core businesses, scale it responsibly, and drive competitive advantage as a result.

The conversation challenged BFS leaders to recognize the importance of taking action today, despite the harsh regulatory environment they operate in.

What we heard

Our lead analyst, Divya Iyer, shared her perspective on how BFS firms must approach AI adoption, offering a stark reality check for leaders. Key takeaways from the discussion include:

  1. The adoption problem isn’t the technology, it’s enterprise readiness. Despite constant advancements with AI, the technology is ready for enterprise adoption at scale. It’s the enterprise that isn’t ready. The full spectrum of enterprise debts play a key role in preventing enterprises from scaling their AI initiatives, ranging from data debt, process debt, and even culture debt.
  2. Tension is rife because banking is deterministic and AI is probabilistic. BFS firms typically require accountability, explainability, and precision at every level of their operations. AI challenges these requirements given it cannot be completely accurate. Overcoming this requires leaders to rethink their risk tolerances.
  3. Productivity gains are the first step, not the end goal. Siloed AI initiatives are delivering quick productivity wins, but most leaders recognize that is just the beginning. These wins should be used to justify further investment from the board that ultimately target the likes of revenue growth, personalization, and smarter decision making.
  4. Governance must drive adoption, not stall it. Savvy BFS firms tell us they are engaging actively with regulators and building the guardrails from day one to ensure they can experiment with confidence. With the right mindset, governance can be an enabler rather than a roadblock.
  5. Agentic AI is scaling in pockets of the industry. Early traction has been seen in the likes of onboarding, fraud, servicing, and operations. But the success is limited to specific use cases, as enterprise-wide AI rollouts still an aspiration across the industry.

What’s next?

BFS firms have already proven AI is capable of delivering productivity gains, but these gains are just the beginning. The challenge now is turning those early wins into real transformation that goes beyond cost saving. Doing so requires leaders to address the real roadblocks for AI transformation, from data debt all the way to process debt, governance frameworks, and even their risk tolerance.

HFS is continuing its work with BFS leaders to help move the industry beyond experimentation toward real competitive advantage.

This roundtable was produced in collaboration with

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