How businesses will pivot AI strategies to align with human-centric goals
Trends like Digital Transformation, Internet of Things, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence have beset the tech and finance industries for some time now. But what was now yesterday’s buzzwords will be tomorrow’s reality. The question is, how will these buzzwords evolve into real solutions in 2019? Jayajyoti (JJ) Sengupta, Head of APAC, Cognizant shared his thoughts on the above topics and how they will change in 2019. 1. Businesses will pivot AI strategies to align with human-centric goals: The majority (92%) of executives see AI playing an important role in their business within the next three years, according to a recent Cognizant study. But in 2019, the implementation of AI will […]
Microsoft joins regtech group to promote AI as a royal commission response
Microsoft will push its artificial intelligence technology deeper inside banks and use its membership of the RegTech Association to show regulators how AI could improve bank compliance to respond to problems exposed by the banking royal commission. Microsoft has just joined the RegTech Association, an industry group driving collaboration between banks, government and start-ups, as the technology giant increases the focus on regulatory compliance applications available on its Azure cloud services. Duncan Taylor, director of financial services at Microsoft, said its artificial intelligence technology could allow banks to identify transactions or advice in breach of ever more complex and onerous laws and regulation. It wants to become a bridge between […]
The Fourth Industrial Revolution built on blockchain and advanced with AI
Blockchain technology is so synonymous with cryptocurrencies, and especially Bitcoin that it is almost like the financial sector has usurped its potential. In times like these, where an investing bear market has befallen the cryptocurrency space, it is easy to get down on the revolutionary possibilities of blockchain technology. Since the original Blockchain, that is Bitcoin, emerged, there has been a considerable focus on transactional blockchains which have been at the forefront of the mainstream understanding of the technology. Bitcoin is often the layman’s first point of call with the stories of investing success stories obscuring the view of other possibilities. However, blockchain technology is moving along in an undercurrent […]
Nod closes $2m funding round to support platform growth
The multi-award-winning artificial intelligence platform, known simply as Nod, has confirmed it has successfully closed its over-subscribed pre-Series A round of AUD$2m. Nod was recently awarded a coveted spot on the KPMG H2 Ventures Fintech100 and has developed a patent pending algorithm that utilises artificial intelligence to create real-time Statements of Advice for Financial Advisers and Accountants. Whilst this is the space where they have chosen to first apply their technology, Co-Founder and CEO, Joel Robbie, says the platform has been developed to be industry agnostic: “We are really excited about the impact we are having on document completion times in the Financial Advice industry! The platform is having genuine […]
Competition in SMSF market tipped to turn as robots enter
A panel of financial experts have staked their bets on robo-advice as the future of SMSF investment. The panel, which was hosted by the SMSF Association and included representatives from the Australian Taxation Office, ASIC, Investment Trends, SuperConcepts and OpenInvest, emphasised the need for SMSF members to keep up with technological advancements in order to continue investing wisely and maximising their assets. In the aftermath of the royal commission’s findings, trust in advisers in Australia is at an all-time low. As a result of such sentiment and the current advancements in technology and AI (artificial intelligence), the expert panel suggested the way forward for SMSF investors will likely be engagement with […]
Financial services urged to ‘Hayne-proof your business now’
Expertise automation platform, Open Orbit, is urging financial services firms not to wait until February, but to ‘Hayne-proof” their business immediately using new “expertise automation” (EA) technologies that could minimise impacts from the Royal Commission on customers, reputation, and costs. These technologies use AI and algorithmic guidance to optimise highly cognitive tasks that require thinking, reasoning, decision-making, understanding, and learning, in order to eliminate problematic, human-driven processes at half the cost and time of a consultant. Firms that use these now could quickly gain a competitive advantage compared to those who wait for the recommendations of the Commission before overhauling processes, according to Open Orbit. “When Commissioner Hayne hands down […]
Finance industry growing to favour AI
More than half of financial executives expect to see increased efficiency in their organisations as a result of artificial intelligence, according to a study by Baker McKenzie. The proportion of finance leaders anticipating increased productivity from AI comes to 52 per cent, a significant shift from 39 per cent in 2016. The report titled Ghosts in the Machine: Revisted queried 355 senior executives working for financial institutions globally. It was a follow up to Baker McKenzie’s 2016 study. The number of finance leaders who expect customer experience to improve has more than doubled, going from 20 per cent to 42 per cent. “A seismic shift has occurred over the last two years […]
From pyramids to diamonds: how technology is transforming finance
Robotics and artificial intelligence are sweeping through workplaces across the globe, and nowhere more than in the accountancy profession and company finance departments. Many of the repetitive and rule-based roles will be replaced by robots, raising questions about the future of the human workforce. “Back-office accounting jobs are increasingly being replaced by technology,” states a recent report by EY and CPA Australia. “Finance functions are outsourced to shared service centres in lower-cost locations.” But the report, Future-proof your finance capability, does not see a complete displacement of accountants. Instead it says the traditional scorekeeper and custodian roles of the accountant are being overtaken by newer responsibilities that are now in […]
