Financial services organisations are operating in a period of profound transformation. Macroeconomic uncertainty, rising compliance demands, increasing fraud risk, shifting customer expectations and a rapidly ageing workforce are all reshaping how banks, insurers and capital markets firms must operate. At the same time, regulatory frameworks are accelerating the need for transparent, secure and well-governed technology adoption.
Against this backdrop, many financial institutions are turning to agentic AI to strengthen resilience, accelerate key processes, transform the customer experience, and unlock new opportunities for growth.
Agentic AI has the potential to shift organisations from experimenting with individual use cases to redesigning how work gets done across the enterprise. But real value will depend on more than the technology itself. Organisations need the right data foundations, governance and human oversight to deploy these capabilities securely, responsibly and at scale.”
David Lee, Chief Technology Officer, PwC IrelandWhat agentic AI enables
Agentic AI represents a step change from traditional analytics, automation and generative AI. Rather than completing isolated tasks, agents can reason, act and orchestrate multistep processes with minimal human intervention — accessing data, executing workflows and adapting to new conditions. When deployed responsibly, this enables financial institutions to improve efficiency and accuracy while maintaining essential human oversight for high-stake decisions.
“In financial services, trust will be the deciding factor in how agentic AI is adopted and scaled. That means organisations need to look beyond capability alone and focus just as closely on governance, transparency and accountability. If firms want these systems to deliver real value, they must be introduced in a way that is secure, explainable and supported by clear human oversight..”
Keith Power, Partner and Responsible AI Leader,PwC IrelandBusiness value across financial services
By taking over complex workflows from start to finish, agentic AI reduces cycle times from days to minutes, minimises manual effort and errors, and enables specialists to focus on activities that require more judgement. It also embeds controls and audit trails directly into operations, helping institutions to stay compliant and preserve critical expertise as their workforces age.
“Across banking and capital markets, firms are under pressure to improve efficiency, manage risk more dynamically and respond to rising regulatory and customer demands. Agentic AI offers a practical way to streamline complex workflows and enhance decision-making, but only where it is introduced with clear accountability, strong governance and a focus on measurable business outcomes.”
Féilim Harvey, Partner and Banking & Capital Markets Sector Leader,PwC IrelandThe impact of agentic AI is already visible across the industry. In banking, the most immediate value is emerging in financial crime, regulatory compliance, customer engagement and lending. Agentic AI is also having a significant impact in the insurance industry, transforming underwriting, claims, customer service and workforce sustainability. Capital markets organisations are leveraging agentic AI for high value analytical and operational activities like analysis and scenario modelling. And in private equity and investment operations, agents accelerate due diligence, surface operational risks across portfolios and enhance client advisory with real-time, personalised insights.
“For insurers, the opportunity in agentic AI is especially significant because many of the most pressing challenges sit inside complex, judgement-led processes such as underwriting, claims and customer service. Used well, it can help with delivering more integrated end-to-end processes that improve responsiveness, strengthen control and free up experienced teams to focus on the decisions where human expertise matters most.”
Darren O'Neill, Partner and Insurance Sector Leader, PwC IrelandA seven-step journey to agentic AI value
Explore key steps and considerations for your agentic AI transformation in our playbook created with experienced industry leaders who share their perspectives and extensive client experiences. Learn how to progress from early experimentation to a scalable agentic AI model that delivers measurable value across your organisation.
- Prioritise value chain impact
- Raise AI fluency and confidence
- Establish your operating model and centre of excellence
- Create a modern, scalable tech foundation
- Address data security, privacy and compliance
- Embed trust and responsible AI
- Connect with the right partners
Take the first step toward operationalising agentic AI. Download the PwC and Microsoft playbook below to unlock autonomous workflows, build trusted AI capabilities and accelerate value across your financial services organisation.
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