The space between AI ambition and actual industry effects got here below scrutiny at FintechOS Lift 2026, as banking and insurance coverage leaders mentioned what it takes to show funding in synthetic intelligence into significant operational enhancements.
Held at Kings Position in London on 14 October, the second one annual Lift convention attracted round 300 registrations and featured greater than 25 audio system, with discussions spanning product innovation, buyer revel in, governance and the demanding situations of modernising monetary products and services.
At last year’s Elevate, audio system warned in opposition to ‘AI theatre’ and pursuing initiatives with out transparent industry goals. 365 days on, consideration had became as to whether all that funding in AI used to be in fact turning in effects.
In her keynote, The AI Reckoning, writer and board guide Leda Glyptis challenged monetary establishments to appear past person productiveness features and the rising collection of AI pilots.
“Center of attention is a characteristic, no longer a computer virus,” she stated, caution that poorly coordinated tasks may just introduce further prices and operational dangers.
Her message used to be that companies want to measure enhancements to their processes and results, whilst addressing present issues of knowledge, abilities and decision-making.
“If you wish to achieve success at your AI implementations, governance is your most effective good friend,” she informed the target audience.
Bringing AI into on a regular basis operations
FintechOS CEO and co-founder Teo Blidarus opened the convention through highlighting how fragmented merchandise, workflows and knowledge have been combating monetary establishments from making complete use of AI.
“Knowledge fragmentation is most often a result of product fragmentation,” he stated, explaining the want to attach merchandise, knowledge and workflows so AI can be utilized throughout on a regular basis banking and insurance coverage operations.
Blidarus additionally stated FintechOS used to be introducing a brand new method to implementation, after acknowledging that some shoppers have been “caught in very sophisticated upgrades”.
A 12 months after unveiling FintechOS 8 at Lift 2025, the corporate offered its newest unencumber, FintechOS 8 Blue Sky, with new AI functions designed to reinforce product building and on a regular basis banking and insurance coverage operations.
Blidarus and Byron Levin, head of presales and ahead deployed consulting at FintechOS, demonstrated two AI copilots, Dex and Abi, constructed at the similar agentic framework. Dex is helping groups configure monetary merchandise, pricing, regulations and workflows, whilst Abi helps staff and shoppers with day by day operations.
AI can assist, however who makes the selections?
In a single demo, Abi guided a buyer thru a conversational mortgage utility. Some other used a fictional development society to turn how AI may just assist increase and worth loan merchandise, assess dealer programs and get ready business lending circumstances for assessment.
However the dialogue additionally touched on how a lot decision-making will have to be left to AI.
“The lender, the financial institution, the monetary establishment has to possess the verdict,” stated Joshua Weinstein, co-CEO of Gable Team, right through a panel dialogue on retail loan origination.
He warned that lenders nonetheless want to perceive and provide an explanation for how selections are reached, even if AI has performed a lot of the groundwork.
Within the insurance coverage classes, FintechOS additionally demonstrated how AI may just assist with motor insurance coverage pricing, claims, coverage adjustments and fee reconciliation, with group of workers holding accountability for approving essential selections.
What does authentic transformation seem like?
Within the afternoon, Dharmesh Mistry, CEO of Imaginative and prescient 20/20 Consulting, challenged delegates to consider how AI may basically trade their companies, relatively than just support present merchandise and processes.
“It’s your personal excellent numbers it’s a must to be apprehensive about,” he stated. “Nokia had improbable numbers. Kodak had improbable numbers. Proper till the quarter once they didn’t have excellent numbers.”
He reminded delegates that banks and insurers had tailored to the arriving of the web and cellular era, however steered that a number of applied sciences advancing without delay offered a special problem.
“When applied sciences come on my own, we adapt. When convergence comes, no one’s were given a framework for it as a result of we didn’t believe those a number of issues coming in combination.”
Paroma Chatterjee, CEO of Revolut India, mentioned how AI used to be turning into a part of product building relatively than one thing regarded as one after the other.
“We don’t have a look at AI as a special arm of the industry,” she stated, explaining how the corporate regarded as era along licensing, native marketplace necessities and buyer wishes when creating merchandise.
However bringing AI into extra portions of a industry doesn’t essentially imply higher effects. Rania Svoronou, international head of AI design at Citi, warned concerning the possibility of creating up ‘AI debt’ thru a couple of initiatives that support person buyer interactions with out making a lot distinction to the full revel in.
AI stage 0 of five: researched, written and edited through Claire Woffenden with out generative AI; most effective on a regular basis gear comparable to spelling and grammar checkers have been used. What the levels mean