How Acuity Analytics and Raiffeisen Bank See Culture as the Key to AI Transformation in Banking

The conversation brings together insights from Rajul Sood of Acuity Analytics and Renato Rocha Souza from Raiffeisen Bank who discuss that financial institutions are already somewhere along an AI transition. In banking, this shift is widely seen as both exciting and challenging. On one hand, AI has huge potential to improve customer experience, strengthen risk assessment, and modernise operations. On the other, turning that potential into real business impact is not easy, especially in large, complex organisations.

A central theme is that AI transformation in banks is less about technology and more about culture. Banks operate with deep-rooted processes and legacy systems that don’t always connect smoothly and simply adding new technology on top of this rarely works. What really makes a difference is change management: how well organisations prepare their people, align leadership, and manage shifts in mindset. Research consistently shows that banks investing in structured change management are far more successful in their AI journeys.

Three key elements stand out and the first of which is leadership-driven cultural change as successful banking transformations are led from the top, with clear communication, openness to collaboration, and a strong focus on customer needs; as when senior leaders actively support and understand AI, that confidence spreads across the organisation.

The second element is clarity around roles and continuous upskilling as AI changes how work gets done. Employees now need a clear view of how their roles will evolve and ongoing training helps people understand how AI supports their goals, making them partners in the change rather than passive recipients.

Finally, the third element is continuous feedback between people and technology as AI solutions are not one-size-fits-all and improve when business teams actively share feedback, helping systems learn from human expertise and adapt to real operational needs.

The conversation reinforces a simple message that successful AI adoption in banking is business-driven, not technology-led. Embedding AI into core processes, while prioritising people, skills, and culture, is what ultimately turns AI from an experiment into real, sustainable value.