In today’s rapidly evolving financial landscape, agility is not just a competitive advantage for banks—it’s a survival imperative. Yet, for many institutions, the path to true agility is blocked by legacy technology, siloed data, and entrenched operating models. The rise of generative AI (GenAI) and agentic platforms offers a transformative opportunity to break through these barriers, enabling banks to modernize, innovate, and deliver exceptional customer experiences at scale. This page explores how banks can harness AI to accelerate operational agility, overcome legacy constraints, and move from incremental change to continuous transformation.
Recent global studies of banking executives reveal a consistent theme: while banks recognize the need for agility, most struggle to achieve it. In 2024, lack of operational agility was cited as the top barrier to digital transformation in commercial banking, surpassing even legacy technology and budget constraints. Despite focused investments, only about a third of banks report having a fully agile operating model, and progress is often limited to pockets of the organization. The largest institutions, burdened by complex legacy estates, face the greatest challenges.
Agility is not just about speed; it’s about the ability to continually anticipate and respond to shifting customer expectations, regulatory demands, and competitive threats. As digital-first challengers and neobanks set new standards for customer experience and operational flexibility, incumbents must find ways to evolve—fast.
Legacy systems are more than a technical headache—they are a structural liability. Decades of bolt-on complexity, fragmented data, and siloed product systems have left many banks with architectures that are slow, costly, and resistant to change. Despite spending nearly a third of IT budgets on modernization, only 30% of banks report having fully modernized their core applications. The result? Innovation is throttled, costs are high, and customer experiences are often disjointed.
Traditional approaches—outsourcing, staff augmentation, and piecemeal automation—have failed to address the root problem. Instead, they often perpetuate complexity, locking banks into operating models that can’t keep pace with the market.
The emergence of generative AI and agentic platforms is a game-changer for banking transformation. Unlike previous waves of automation, GenAI can:
AI is not just another tool—it’s the jackhammer that can break through the concrete of legacy systems. But to realize its potential, banks must treat AI as the foundation for new ways of working, not just a bolt-on to existing processes.
Publicis Sapient’s SPEED framework—Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, Data & AI—offers a holistic approach to digital business transformation. By integrating these five capabilities, banks can:
This integrated approach is essential for breaking down silos, aligning the organization around big goals, and enabling the continuous change required for true agility.
A leading example of AI-driven agility in action is the joint venture between Publicis Sapient and Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) in Southeast Asia. Together, they created ASEAN’s largest fintech platform, providing banking-as-a-service and non-banking services across the region. By rethinking customer engagement, leveraging AI and cloud-native architecture, and adopting agile delivery, SCB Tech X dramatically reduced time to market, drove down costs, and unlocked new sources of value for millions of customers.
As banks move toward AI-driven transformation, the commercial model must evolve. Traditional FTE-based pricing is ill-suited to the speed and flexibility of AI-powered services. Banks increasingly favor:
Transparency, stability, and alignment to business outcomes are top priorities for banking leaders. Successful partnerships are built on shared risk, co-innovation, and a relentless focus on value creation.
The journey to AI-driven agility is not a one-time project—it’s a continuous process of reinvention. Banks that succeed will be those that:
In a world where change is the only constant, AI-driven agility is the key to unlocking new value, delighting customers, and staying ahead of digital-first challengers. The time to act is now.
Ready to break through your legacy barriers?
Publicis Sapient partners with leading banks worldwide to deliver AI-powered transformation, leveraging our SPEED philosophy and proprietary platforms like Slingshot and Bodhi. Let’s build the agile, future-ready bank together.