2020-2021 marked a new epoch in the history of business. For the first time, a massive percentage of the workforce was working from home. While employees struggled to cope with the limitations of working virtually, artificial intelligence (AI) emerged as a reliable partner for enterprises worldwide. With AI, enterprises were assured that business processes were not disrupted due to the scarcity of labor and resources.  

Now that the worst seems over, there are more reasons than ever to invest in AI. AI has been an infallible ally for many organizations in 2020. It helped them meet deadlines and streamline internal operations while eliminating wasteful expenditure. It helped them cope with burgeoning workloads. The impact AI had on employee productivity was significant. By unfettering staff in back and middle offices from the cycle of mundane, repetitive, and tiresome tasks, AI-enabled the workforce to engage in high-value tasks. 

So even as employees return to the office in the coming days,  many organizations will continue to amplify their AI efforts. Wayne Butterfield, director of ISG Automation, a unit of global technology research and advisory firm ISG, attributes this new phenomenon to the powerful impact AI had last year. He says, “As the grip of the pandemic continues to affect the ability of the enterprise to operate, AI in many guises will become increasingly important as businesses seek to understand their COVID- affected data sets and continue to automate day-to-day tasks.”

Indeed, in the banking and financial sector, the benefits driven by AI in the past year were monumental. It ensured frictionless interactions, cut repetitive work by half, and reduced error, bias, and false positives – the result of human fallacies – significantly. What organizations got was a leaner and more streamlined, and efficient organization. So there is no question that the value driven by AI in domains like finance and banking, which rely heavily on processes, will only continue to grow in the years to come. 

Setting pace for innovation and change

The pandemic has redefined digital. With enterprises becoming more digitally connected than ever before, it is AI that helps them stay operational. As a report from the Insider indicates, there will be significant savings in the middle, back, and front office operations if AI is incorporated. Automation of middle-office tasks can lead to savings of $70 billion by 2025. The sum total of expected cost savings from AI applications is estimated at $447 billion by 2023. Of this, the front and middle office will account for $416 billion of the aggregate.  

That AI will set the pace for innovation and change in the banking and financial services sector is all but guaranteed. The shift towards digital had started earlier; the pandemic only accelerated the pace. So here are some of the key areas where Fintechs and banks are using AI :   

• Document Processing  
• Invoice processing
• Cyber Security
• Onboarding/KYC 

Document processing with AI 

Enterprises today are sitting on a data goldmine that comes from sources as diverse as enterprise applications, public/private data sets, and social media. However, data in its raw form is of no use. Data, whether it is in textual, pdfs, spreadsheets, have to be classified, segregated, summarized and converted into formats (JSON, etc.) that can be understood by machines and processes before they can be of use to the organization. 

Earlier, image recognition technologies such as OCR were used for document processing. However, their scope is limited given that organizations deal with humongous amounts of data in diverse formats including print, and handwritten, all of which are not recognizable with OCR. Document processing platforms have a distinct advantage over traditional recognition technologies such as OCR and ICR. The system is trained first using data sets, and a core knowledge base is created. In time the knowledge base expands, and the tool develops the ability to self-learn and recognize content and documents. This is achieved through the feedback or re-training loop mechanism under human supervision. Realizing that artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision can play a pivotal role in document processing, organizations are increasingly relying on these to enhance the efficiency of many front and back-office processes.  

Invoice Processing and AI

Covid-19 has intensified the need for automated Accounts Payable processes. Organizations that were earlier relying on manual and legacy systems for invoice processing were caught off-guard as employees were forced to work from home. Ensuring timely delivery on payment approvals became a challenge due to archaic legacy practices and an increasing number of constraints. Then there was the question of enhanced visibility into outstanding payments. All this led to chaos in invoice processing. A lot of frayed tempers and missed deadlines.

A major chunk of invoice processing tasks is related to data entry. Finance and accounts personnel shift through data that comes from sources such as fax, paper, and e-mail. But a study on 1000 US workers reiterated that no one likes data entry. The survey indicated that a whopping 70 percent of the employees were okay if data entry and other such mundane tasks were automated. With automated invoice processing, it is possible to capture invoices from multiple channels. Identify and extract data (header and lines) using validation and rules. And best in time, with little human supervision, become super proficient in identifying relevant information. It can also do matching and coding.  Magic FinServ’s Machine Learning algorithm correctly determined General Ledger code to correctly tag the invoice against an appropriate charge code and finally, using RPA, was able to insert the code on the invoice.    

Banks and other financial services stand to gain a lot by automating invoice processing. 

• By automating invoice processing with artificial intelligence, organizations can make it easier for the finance staff and back-office team to concentrate on cash-generating processes instead of entering data as -a typical administration function. 
• Automating the accounts payable process for instance, can help the finance teams focus on tasks that generate growth and opportunities. 
• An automated invoice processing provides enhanced visibility into payments and approvals.
• It speeds up the invoice processing cycle considerably as a result; there are no irate vendors
• It makes it easier to search and retrieve invoices.      

Cyber Security and AI

Cybersecurity has become a prime concern with the enterprises increasing preference for cloud and virtualization. Cybersecurity concerns became graver during Covid-19 as the workforce, including software developing teams, started working from home. As third parties and vendors were involved in many processes as well, it became imperative for organizations to ensure extreme caution while working in virtualized environments. Experiences from the past have taught us that data breaches spell disaster for an organization’s reputation. We need to look no further than Panera bread and Uber to realize how simple code left in haste can alter the rules of the game. Hence a greater impetus for the shift left narrative where security is driven in the DevOps lifecycle instead of as an afterthought. The best recourse is to implement an AI-driven DevOps solution. With AI baked into the development lifecycle, organizations can accelerate the development lifecyc in the present and adapt to changes in the future with ease.

Onboarding/KYC and AI

One of the biggest challenges for banks is customer onboarding and KYC. In the course of the KYC, or onboarding banks have to handle thousands, sometimes even millions of documents. And if that were not enough, they also have to take account of exhaust data and the multiple compliances and regulatory standards. No wonder then that banks and financial institutions often fall short of meeting the deadlines. Last year, as the Covid-19 crisis loomed large, it was these tools powered with AI and enabled with machine learning that helped accelerate paperwork processes. These digitize documents and extract data from it. And as the tool evolves with time, it makes it easier for the organization to extract insights from it. 

Let us take the example of one prominent Insurtech company that approached Magic FinServ for the resolution of KYC challenges. The company wanted to reduce the time taken for conducting a KYC and for SLAs roll-out of new policies gained confidence and customer appreciation as Magic’s “soft template” based solution augmented by Artificial Intelligence provided them the results they wanted.  

Tipping point

Though banks and financial institutions were inclining towards the use of AI for making their processes robust, the tipping point was the pandemic. The pandemic made many realize that it was now or never. This is evident from the report by the management solutions provider OneStream. The report observed that the use of AI tools like machine learning had jumped from about 20% of enterprises in 2020 to nearly 60% in 2021. Surprisingly, analytics firms like FICO and Corinium that a majority of top executives (upwards 65%) do not know how AI works. 

At Magic FinServ, our endeavor is to ensure that the knowledge percolates enterprise-wide. Therefore, our implementation journey starts with a workshop wherein our team of AI engineers showcases the work they have done and then engages in an insightful session where they try to identify the areas where opportunities exist and the deterrents. Thereafter comes the discovery phase, where our team develops a prototype. Once the customer gives the go-ahead as they are confident about our abilities to meet expectations, we implement the AI model that integrates with the existing business environment. A successful implementation is not the end of the journey as we keep identifying new areas of opportunities so that true automation at scale can be achieved.     

Catering to Banks and FinTechs: Magic FinServ’s unique AI optimization framework    

At Magic FinServ, we have a unique AI Optimization framework that utilizes structured and unstructured data to build tailored solutions that reduce the need for human intervention. Our methodology powered by AI-ML-NLP and Computer vision provides 70% efficiency in front and middle office platforms and processes. Many of our AI applications for Tier 1 investment, FinTechs, Asset Managers, Hedge Funds, and InsuranceTech companies have driven bottom and top-line dividends for the businesses in question. We ensure that our custom-built applications integrate seamlessly into the existing systems and adhere to all regulatory compliance measures ensuring agility. 

For some time now, asset managers have been looking at ways to net greater profits by optimizing back-office operations. The clamor to convert back-office from a “cost-center” to a “profit center” is not recent. But it has increased with the growth of passive investment and regulatory controls. Moreover, as investment fees decline, asset managers look for ways to stay competitive. 

Back-office is where AI and ML can drive massive business impact. 

For most financial organizations considering a technology upgrade, it is the back office where they must start first. Whether reconciliation or daily checkout or counterparties, back-office processes are the “low-hanging fruits” where AI and ML can be embedded within existing architecture/tools without much hassle. The investment costs are reasonably low, and financial organizations are generally assured of an ROI if they choose the appropriate third-party vendor with expertise in handling such transitions.         

Tasks in the back-office that AI can replace

AI can best be applied to tasks that are manual, voluminous, repetitive, and require constant analysis and feedback. This makes back-office operations/processes a safe bet for AI, ML, and NLP implementation. 

The amount of work that goes behind the scenes in the back office is exhaustive, never-ending, and cumbersome. Back-office operatives are aided in their endeavors by core accounting platforms. Accounting platforms, however, provide the back-office operator with information and data only. Analysis of data is primarily a manual activity in many organizations. As a result, the staff is generally stretched and has no time to add value. Silos further impede process efficiency, and customer satisfaction suffers as the front, back, and middle offices are unable to work in tandem.  

While there is no supplementing human intelligence, the dividends that accrue when AI is adopted are considerable. Efficiency and downtime reduction boost employee and organization morale while driving revenue upstream.

This blog will consider a few use cases from the back-office where AI and ML can play a significant role, focusing on instances where Magic FinServ was instrumental in facilitating the transition from manual to AI with substantial benefits.  

KYC: Ensuring greater customer satisfaction 

Data that exists in silos is one of the biggest challenges in fast-tracking KYC. Unfortunately, it is also the prime reason behind a poor customer experience. The KYC process, when done manually, is long and tedious and involves chasing clients time and again for the information. 

With Magic DeepSight’s™ machine learning capabilities, asset managers and other financial institutions can reduce this manual effort by up to 70% and accomplish the task with higher speed and lower error rate, thereby reducing cost. Magic DeepSight™ utilizes its “soft template” based solution to eliminate labor-intensive tasks. It has enabled several organizations to reduce the time taken for KYC and overall improve SLAs for new client onboarding.  

Reconciliation: Ensuring quicker resolution

As back-office operations are required to handle exceptions quickly and accurately, they need manual effort supplemented by something more concrete and robust. Though traditional tools carry out reconciliation, many organizations still resort to spreadsheets and manual processes, and hence inconsistencies abound. As a result, most organizations manually reconcile anywhere between 3% to 10% volume daily.

So at Magic FinServ, we designed a solution that can be embedded/incorporated on top of an existing reconciliation solution. This novel method reduces manual intervention by over 95% using artificial intelligence. This fast-tracks the reconciliation process dramatically, ensures quicker time to completion, and makes the process less error-prone. Magic FinServ implemented this ‘continuously learning’ solution for a $250B AUM Asset Manager and reduced the trade breaks by over 95%.

Fund Accounting: Ensuring efficiency and productivity 

Fund accounting can be made more efficient and productive with AI. Instead of going through tons of data in disparate formats, by leveraging the powers of AI, the back office can analyze information in income tax reports, Form K-1 tax reports, etc., at a fraction of time taken manually and make it available for dissemination. For example, Magic FinServ’s Text Analytics Tool, which is based on Distant Supervision & Semantic Search, can summarize almost any unstructured financial data with additional training. For a Tier 1 investment bank’s research team that needed to fast-track and made their processes more efficient, we created an integrated NLP-based solution that automated summarizing the Risk Factors section from the 10-K reports.

Invoice and Expense Automation: Eliminating the manual effort

Automated invoice processing is the answer for organizations that struggle with a never-ending backlog of invoices and expenses. An AI integrated engine captures and extracts invoice and expense data in minutes. Without setting new templates and rules, data can be extracted from different channels. There’s also the advantage of automated learning facilitated by the AI engine’s self-learning and validation interface.

Magic FinServ used its sophisticated OCR library built using Machine Learning to get rid of manual effort in uploading invoices to industry-standard invoice & expenses management applications. Another Machine Learning algorithm was able to correctly determine General Ledger code to tag the invoice against an appropriate charge code correctly, and finally, using RPA was able to insert the code on the invoice.

Streamlining corporate actions operations:  

Corporate actions are one of the classic use-cases for optimization using AI. Traditionally, most corporate actions have been done manually, even though they are low-value activities and can mostly be automated with suitable systems. However, whether it is managing an election process with multiple touchpoints or disseminating accurate and complete information to stakeholders and investment managers, the fallout of missing an event or misreporting can be considerable. One way to reduce the risk is to receive notifications from more than one source. But that would compound the back-office workload as they would have to record and reconcile multiple notifications. Hence the need for AI.

Magic FinServ’s AI solution streamlines several routine corporate action operations delivering superior quality. The AI system addresses inefficiencies by reading and scrubbing multiple documents to capture the corporate action from the point of announcement and create a golden copy of the corporate action announcement with ease and efficiency. This takes away the need for manual processing of corporate action announcements saving up to 70% of the effort. This effort can be routed to other high-risk and high-value tasks. 

Conclusion: 

Back-office automation drives enormous dividends. It improves customer satisfaction and efficiency, reduces error rates,  and ensures compliance. Among the five technology trends for banks (for 2020 and beyond), the move towards “zero back offices” – Forrester report, is a culmination of the increasing demand for process automation in the back office. “Thirty percent of tasks in a majority of occupations can be automated, and robotics is one way to do that. For large back offices with data-entry or other repetitive, low judgment, high-error-prone, or compliance-needy tasks, this is like a panacea.”McKinsey Global Institute. For a long time, we have also known that most customer dissatisfaction results from inadequacies of back-office. As organizations get ready for the future, there is a greater need for synchronization between the back, middle, and front office. There is no doubt that AI, ML,  and NLP will play an increasingly more prominent role in the transition to the next level.