AEB President Alejandra Kindelán emphasized today that banks are already incorporating artificial intelligence into their operations as a tool to improve their services, but always with accountability and human oversight, placing people at the center of their processes.
“The banking sector is using AI to better understand its customers, better protect them, and offer them higher-value services—always with a human in the process,” he said at the APIE course, where he noted that the banking sector is, by definition, innovative, with ongoing investment in technology, data, digital talent, and cybersecurity.
Kindelán noted that artificial intelligence “is already a reality in banking.” More than 95% of European financial institutions are already using it in various applications or pilot projects, and in Spain, its integration is particularly advanced due to the sector’s high level of digitization.
AI is already helping to transform banking in three main areas. The first is customer relations, because it makes it possible to offer more personalized, tailored, and responsive services and to better understand customers’ needs.
The second is internal processes. Automation makes it possible to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and devote more resources to tasks with higher added value. And the third is risk and security management. Artificial intelligence helps detect fraud, anticipate risks, and improve creditworthiness analysis, which strengthens the sector’s ability to protect itself and contributes to stability.
Kindelán also noted that new AI models increase the scale, speed, and sophistication of risks, but they also strengthen defensive capabilities. Banks are already using this technology in their systems to detect anomalous patterns, anticipate attacks, and better protect customers.
“Artificial intelligence is a game-changer. But one thing remains the same: in banking, trust is still the most important asset,” Kindelán said. The Spanish banking sector wants to be part of this transformation, with innovation, security, and trust as its hallmarks.
In Spain, these efforts have resulted in one of the most advanced banking systems in terms of digitalization and technological infrastructure. All of this has been achieved without losing the essence of a customer-focused banking system, with a physical presence that remains important to many customers.
