ING’s head of Retail Banking Pinar Abay, has been interviewed in Italian daily newspaper, la Repubblica.
In a wide-ranging interview, Pinar spoke about the use of AI saying it was no longer limited to operational efficiency and can democratise access to financial services.
“In the past, advice was reserved for high-end customers. But it was not inclusive at all," said Pinar.
"Our sector remains a sector of relationships. But technology, as it is evolving, can extend its scope."
“It is on this balance between relationship and innovation that one of the most important games for the future of banking is played. A change that is already visible in concrete application,” she said.
Testing Agentic AI
Pinar said ING was testing the use of Agentic AI in various areas of operation, starting with mortgages.
"We decided to have humans work alongside AI agents, agents capable of operating autonomously after an initial prompt.”
Pinar said we are extending it to the European level, and it will also arrive in Italy.
“These solutions allow you to manage spikes in demand without slowing down response times. At the same time, the evolution of conversational interfaces paves the way for an increasingly natural interaction with the customer, where AI does not only respond but is also able to perform operations.”
Pinar also mentioned that ING was working to launch conversational AI.
"We are (also) in a pilot phase for the use of agents in charge of managing the migration of legacy systems, halving the costs. And we have large language models that monitor the competition and review constantly, improving the ability to adapt to the market. The future of banking could be completely redefined: any traditional process can become a workflow managed by digital agents. It is an ambitious but concrete prospect."
AI democratises access to finance
Pinar told the newspaper that AI can democratise access to financial services.
"Imagine having a personal financial advisor available to everyone: a digital agent who works for you, speaks your language, and offers tailored solutions. In the past, this type of advice was reserved for the wealthiest customers, but today even those with more modest savings can take advantage of it".
She said the goal is to use technology to enhance clients' financial experiences by making discussions about retirement, investing and wealth planning accessible.
"Talking about pensions is not easy. Often, people don't know where to start. If a digital agent can guide them in these choices, access and understanding increases, as does the ability to prepare for a safer future."
Pinar also spoke about Italy being a strategic market for ING.
You can read the full interview.