Meniga’s Raj Soni & Belfius’ Jonathan Neubourg on the Real Impact of AI in Everyday Banking

Raj Soni from Meniga and Jonathan Neubourg from Belfius talk about how banks are changing their plans around AI, not just to keep up with tech trends but to adapt to the way customers are behaving.

Soni mentions that since tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek have become popular, people now have different expectations for service. As users get used to asking questions and getting quick answers in a chat format, they start to want the same experience from their banking apps. He imagines a future where people can just ask their banking apps simple questions about their finances, like, “What did I spend this week?” instead of scrolling through complex menus. He believes traditional banks have an advantage because they have a lot of historical data and strong relationships with customers, allowing them to provide personalised experiences that new digital banks might struggle to offer.

Neubourg adds that Belfius has been using AI for a while, even before the recent hype. He breaks down their strategy into three main points. First, AI allows banks to be available all the time, automate tasks, and respond quicker. Second, fraud detection and security, where machine learning helps maintain customer trust. Lastly, user experience, especially through chat interfaces – Neubourg thinks we’re moving toward smarter, AI-based personal assistants that really engage with customers using their data, moving away from basic chatbots.