The new Connected Financial Services report from CRM leader Salesforce reveals that consumers have big expectations for AI in financial services,
The study, which included insights from 9,500 financial services institution (FSI) customers worldwide, including 4,000 from Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), shows that consumers expect AI to play a bigger role in financial services than in other industries.
“Among the biggest benefits of agentic AI solutions will be on-demand, instant access to personalise financial recommendations that may otherwise require appointments and taking time out of busy schedules,” says Linda Saunders, country manager and senior director of solution engineering for Africa.
In addition to taking the pulse of consumers’ sense of financial security and goals, the report examines how customer experiences – including those increasingly powered by artificial intelligence (AI) agents – are changing individuals’ relationships with their FSIs.
“For humans and agents to work together, it’s critical for financial service institutions to implement with trust, transparency, and the highest levels of regulatory compliance as core to their strategy – not an afterthought.”
Key insights from the research include:
- Differentiated service and experience can outweigh rates and fees. 45% would stay with a provider that offers excellent service, even if fees increased. This is especially true for 56% of high earners.
- Consumers have big expectations for AI in financial services: 43% of FSIs in EMEA, including 54% of Gen Z and 50% of millennials, expect AI to play a bigger role in financial services than in other industries. FSIs are most interested in use cases that prevent fraud, lower prices, and complete routine tasks.
- Building trust is essential as agentic AI is rolled out: 49% of consumers at least somewhat trust the use of AI agents in financial services, but only 8% are fully on board. The top factors that would build consumers’ trust in AI agents are transparency into their use, validation of their outputs, and explainability of their outputs.