To enhance their competitive advantage, they are placing a growing emphasis on innovation and driving business growth. The findings come as artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a crucial technology for banks, and demand for the technology is expected to become fierce.

Strategic priorities have shifted

European banks are shifting strategic priorities from reducing costs to innovation and growth. Investments are focused on scaling AI and cloud capabilities, accelerating digital transformation to enhance customer and employee experiences, and positioning for long-term competitiveness.

AI: From emerging promise to a reality

AI has transitioned from a promising concept to a foundational element in European banking operations. Banks are leveraging AI primarily to enhance fraud detection and elevate customer service, two critical areas given the region’s stringent regulatory environment and the imperative to safeguard financial integrity. Approximately 28% of European banks cite fraud detection and customer service as domains where AI delivers the highest value.

AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are streamlining interactions, enabling personalised, real-time customer engagement while optimising operational costs. Yet, the journey is ongoing: nearly half of AI initiatives remain in early stages, hindered by data management challenges and regulatory complexities. This signals a clear mandate for banks to strengthen data architectures and governance frameworks to unlock AI’s full potential.

Banks see the most impact from AI in enhancing productivity, quality, growth, and operational speed. Generative AI alone could add between $200 billion and $340 billion annually to the banking sector through productivity gains. Leading banks are already realising these benefits: ABN Amro uses generative AI to summarise customer calls, boosting contact center efficiency, while JP Morgan has reduced payment validation errors by up to 20% using AI-powered models, cutting fraud and operational costs.

At Infosys, we are witnessing firsthand how AI-driven innovation is transforming software development productivity, with improvements ranging from 7% to 15%. Nearly 18,000 developers have collectively generated nearly 7 million lines of code, supported by AI assistants tailored to their specific roles and functions. This AI-first approach enables us to optimize operations significantly, enhance predictive capabilities to stay ahead of market shifts, accelerate growth trajectories, and strengthen risk management frameworks, including compliance, ensuring our clients remain resilient in an evolving financial landscape.

Data, security, and compliance are what hold banks back

Data privacy and security remain the foremost challenges to AI and cloud adoption. Banks must navigate complex regulatory landscapes while ensuring robust data protection. Interestingly, while over half of European banks consider their data architecture AI-ready, they face the most challenge in implementing AI in their data architecture.

Security concerns also dominate cloud migration decisions. Strong governance, encryption, and compliance frameworks are essential to safely manage sensitive customer data.

Innovation drives customer loyalty

Historically, a bank’s size and reputation anchored customer trust; however, today’s customers prioritise convenience and relevant offerings. The demand for technology talent, particularly in AI and cloud infrastructure, is intensifying. Cybersecurity remains a critical focus, but the rapid growth in AI and cloud roles underscores the sector’s commitment to building robust digital expertise. To meet these demands, banks must harness powerful technology and skilled talent capable of driving ongoing innovation.

Unfortunately, recruiting tech talent — especially in AI — remains a significant hurdle for many banks in the region. The competition for skilled professionals is fierce due to the increasing presence of global banks are vying for the same talent pool.

Many banks are investing heavily in reskilling initiatives to address this talent gap. Governments are doing their part too to bridge the talent gap. For example, the European Commission’s AI Continent Action Plan aims to make Europe a global AI leader by expanding AI education and training. The Commission has launched the AI Skills Academy, which offers specialised education in AI and generative AI, apprenticeship programs, and scholarships to increase diversity and attract talent back to Europe. The plan also promotes European Digital Innovation Hubs to provide accessible AI skills and training services across the EU, supporting worker upskilling and reskilling.

Strategic partnerships: a catalyst for talent development

Banks must consider forming strategic partnerships with educational institutions and technology firms to tackle these challenges effectively. Collaborations can lead to tailored training programs that address specific industry needs. For example, BNP Paribas collaborates with AI startups and invests heavily in AI talent development through its Digital Data and Agile Academy, providing employees with ongoing data and AI skills training. The collaboration by European Social Partners on Employment Aspects of AI will help European banks responsibly navigate AI-driven transformation, safeguarding employee well-being and enabling sustainable adoption of AI.

Additionally, partnerships can facilitate the rapid adoption of new technologies while minimising risks associated with being the first movers in innovation. Lloyds Banking Group has partnered with the University of Cambridge to provide AI training for 300 senior staff as part of its technology transformation, delivering a program called “Leading with AI” that covers AI regulation, ethics, generative AI, and emerging concepts.

Partnerships are critical enablers for institutions to accelerate technology adoption while effectively managing the risks that come with being first movers. At Infosys, we recognize that bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise fosters innovation through meaningful collaboration and idea exchange. With over 270,000 employees who are generative AI-aware across all functions, not just engineering, we cultivate cross-functional teams that leverage varied experiences and insights. This diversity of thought drives richer, more inclusive outcomes that better serve our broad communities and positions us to lead confidently in the evolving AI landscape.

Digital transformation: a path to growth and efficiency

This year is poised to be transformative for European banking. Institutions equipped with effective digital transformation strategies will be able to expand their AI and cloud capabilities. By doing so, they will enhance operational efficiencies and improve customer experiences across all touchpoints to attract and grow their customer base and solidify their competitive edge within the market. While data privacy, security, and regulatory compliance challenges persist, banks that strategically invest in digital capabilities and balance innovation with risk management will emerge stronger and more resilient. Continuous training and collaboration will also remain paramount as banks strive for leadership within the European financial sector.

The Infosys Bank Tech Index is a survey-based research study of nearly 400 global banks that tracks the intricacies of how banks’ priorities across regions differ, where they spend their budgets on technology, and what skills they are looking for.

Jay Nair 
Executive Vice President and Industry Head for Financial Services in Europe, Middle East, and Africa| Infosys 

About The Author

Jay Nair is the Executive Vice President and Industry Head for Financial Services in Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Additionally, he leads the UK Public Service business for Infosys. He is also part of the Supervisory board for Stater.ni (which is largest independent end-to-end service provider for the mortgage market in the Benelux).

He has spent close to three decades in Engineering -both in process control engineering and since 1999, within the BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance) sector. Jay has extensive experience in Business and Technology Consulting, Practice development, Engineering and Largescale enterprise-wide technology program management. He has led global teams and programs around in the Americas ,Europe ,India, China ,LATAM, and the Asia Pacific.

He has post graduate qualifications in both Software Engineering as well as Business Management.