Artificial intelligence — notably agent-based and generative models — is reshaping banking operations, customer relationships and cost structures. These developments and their implications for Hungarian finance will be discussed at the Portfolio Future of Finance 2026 conference on September 23, with speakers from K&H Bank, MBH Bank, UNIQA Biztosító and Gránit Bank among others.
Key findings from consultancy analyses
-
A May analysis by McKinsey highlights two developments that sharply redraw competitive dynamics among banks: agent-based AI can monitor account balances in real time, compare available yields, optimize deposit rates, reallocate credit card balances and automatically steer savings toward higher-yield products. In practice, this can redirect a portion of banks’ previously realized interest margin directly to customers and reduce the traditional customer-retention effects of banks.
-
Generative AI adoption has been rapid: roughly half of the working-age US population began actively using generative tools within about two years. The generational adoption gap is therefore unusually small, meaning banks cannot rely on an older, slower-to-adapt customer base to provide a lengthy transition period.
-
The Boston Consulting Group’s June analysis argues that AI can cause structural change rather than incremental improvement: many banking back-office functions still rely heavily on human work (data reconciliation, summaries, case handling), a model that is increasingly unsustainable. BCG reports that financial institutions plan to allocate about 2% of revenues to AI in 2026 — approaching tech-sector levels — but stresses that the decisive issue is whether those investments fund truly transformative projects.
Four trends identified by BCG
- Synthetic voice may soon be competitive with human interaction in empathy and consistency.
- AI agents, with long-term memory and contextual understanding, will be able to carry out complex workflows autonomously.
- Personal AI assistants will spread, potentially bringing radical transparency to customers’ financial decisions and putting pressure on bank margins.
- AI-enabled fraud and cybercrime will expand rapidly, necessitating AI-based defenses.
Concrete, realized outcomes (BCG case studies)
BCG presents measurable examples of AI-driven impact:
- An Asian bank using an agent-based AI architecture freed more than 30% of wealth-adviser capacity, which led to a 30% increase in fee income and threefold client activity.
- A European institution transformed credit underwriting with AI agents: front-line productivity rose by 50%, decision times shortened to 24 hours and fraud detection improved by over 30%.
- A large US bank increased developer productivity by an average of 30% using AI-based coding assistants; top-performing teams saw improvements of about 60%.
Practical implications for Hungarian players
Digital banks and brokerages already operate at much lower cost levels by automating large parts of customer service and collections. Human staff can therefore focus on sensitive, high-touch cases — such as helping customers in severe financial distress or resolving complex disputes. This hybrid model improves efficiency and can also alter pricing in certain business lines.
Speakers at the conference representing Hungarian firms include Vadócz Zsolt (K&H Bank, digital lead), Léder Tamás (MBH Bank, director of digital business competencies), Kurtisz Krisztián (UNIQA Biztosító, CEO) and Jendrolovics Péter (Gránit Bank, deputy CEO). Other contributors named in the program include Horváth Balázs (VisualLabs), Stadler Gellért (TC2, Data & AI Team Lead), Kuruc Péter (EY) and Victor Tamás Máté (HOLD Alapkezelő).
Risks and open questions
Alongside technological benefits, the growth of AI-driven fraud and cyber threats is a major risk requiring AI-based defensive measures. Moreover, the success of AI investments depends not just on spending levels — the roughly 2% revenue allocation planned for 2026 — but on whether institutions can convert data assets and AI maturity into measurable business efficiency and value.
When and where
The Portfolio Future of Finance 2026 conference takes place on 23 September 2026. The event’s sessions include presentations and panel discussions on how Hungarian and international financial institutions are responding with practical projects, governance and risk-management approaches to AI adoption. Registration and event details are available on the Portfolio event page.
Tags: artificial intelligence, banking sector, AI agents, generative AI, financial sector, Future of Finance 2026
