AI in FinanceWednesday, 26 November 2025 - London GMT

Leading banks are shifting the focus of their AI transformation beyond the ‘low hanging fruit’ of back-end task automation towards autonomous enterprise agents capable of proactively addressing complex challenges. The critical question is how can this next stage of AI innovation be realised?

• What will the projected impact of agentic AI in banking be in terms of improved efficiency, decision making and profitability?
• What are some promising agentic AI pilots that have demonstrated success and can be implemented in the near term with minimal risk?
• How can the ultimate vision for AI agents – deployed across multiple departments, making complex decisions and regularly interacting with one another - be reached?

AI has already revolutionised banking, but the real disruption is yet to come. As we approach 2026, the industry is on the brink of breakthroughs that could eclipse the transformative power of 2023’s GenAI explosion. Discover how these advancements will redefine the financial landscape and unlock unprecedented opportunities for banks.

• What is the next major breakthrough that will transform how the entire industry operates?
• How can banks position themselves to quickly take advantage of the next major AI development?
• Which stakeholders stand to gain most from the next AI in Finance breakthrough?

Despite being Europe’s financial centre, a considerable amount of the industry’s cutting-edge AI transformation happens outside of London and the UK. Attain insight into how banks in other countries are deploying AI for impact and what the UK can learn from their approach to AI development.

• How does the UK banking sector’s development and adoption of AI stack up against that of countries?
• What are the most promising AI-enhanced processes and systems that have been produced by overseas banks? What are the major benefits of these?
• What is the ideal market environment for AI-driven banks to thrive, from the perspectives of banks operating under different conditions?

Achieving enterprise-wide AI transformation is the key to unlocking unparalleled efficiency, deeper customer engagement, and significant market share growth. In this session, our panel discuss the strategies and initiatives that are propelling their institutions toward becoming the much coveted ‘AI-native’ bank.

• What are the critical steps banks must take to develop an AI culture, ensuring alignment and engagement across all divisions in pursuit of an AI-first future?
• How can banks address the AI skills gap—should they focus on recruiting developers or reskilling non-technical staff to maximise AI’s benefits?
• Can prioritising buying over building AI accelerate enterprise-wide adoption and deliver a competitive edge through greater efficiency and faster time-to-market?

In industries where compliance and security are paramount, driving rapid AI innovation can seem like an impossible task. This session brings together a banking leader and experts from other highly regulated sectors to share how they’ve successfully navigated the complexities of strict regulations while delivering transformative AI solutions.

• How have leaders from three tightly regulated industries managed to develop game-changing AI within the confines of strict regulations?
• Which impressive AI solutions have been born out of leveraging highly sensitive data, and what processes were installed to minimise the risks?
• As AI continues to evolve rapidly, how can enterprises in highly regulated industries remain agile to seize the opportunities and mitigate the risks that emerge in future?

• How can we leverage AI in modern banking infrastructures to create resilient, scalable, and adaptive core banking systems?
• How is AI being built into infrastructure to enable more sophisticated API ecosystems and partnerships that power ever-more tailored financial products for the customer?
• What are the latest AI advancements allowing banks to more easily adapt their infrastructure to comply with the frequently evolving post-Brexit financial regulations?

Banks currently face two critical barriers to delivering next-generation customer-facing AI: pressure to deliver meaningful solutions after poor reception to early chatbot technologies and implementing safeguards robust enough to sufficiently mitigate risks like hallucinations. This panel will explore actionable strategies to navigate these obstacles and deliver truly valuable AI-powered customer experiences.

• Beyond basic spending insights and convenient apps, what is the next milestone for AI-powered customer experience?
• AI allows banks to develop a deep understanding of the behaviour and preferences of each customer, but how can this be leveraged to enhance customer-facing applications?
• What guardrails and level of explainability are necessary to avoid hallucinations and the associated risks?

• AI for document processing, code generation, and enterprise search have delivered significant value; which other areas are now being prioritised for automation?
• How can banks refine existing backend automation to unlock greater efficiency gains?
• What strategies should banks use to unearth their unique hidden inefficiencies and direct AI investments effectively?

Industry forecasts, including those from McKinsey and Deloitte, predict quantum-enhanced AI cybersecurity, AI-driven smart contracts, and the emergence of the unprecedented AI-first bank. Our panel examines the timeline for these predictions and evaluate their technical, commercial and operational feasibility.

• Both quantum and blockchain have shown promise in enhancing the effects of AI but are barriers to mainstream adoption too great to overcome?
• Should legacy banks be concerned about the possibility of a new AI-driven bank, where backend systems are fully optimised for AI?
• What key criteria should decision makers use to distinguish transformative advancements from overhyped trends?

• How has the AI Opportunities Plan begun to impact Financial Services?
• What key initiatives from the AI Sector Champions strategy will further drive AI adoption in Financial Services?
• Where is government investment in Financial Services currently focused, and will these priorities shift in 2026?