What changed

1. Notes the broad and diverse adoption of AI across the EU financial services sector, with financial institutions, which have been using classical machine learning for an extended period, now gradually experimenting with the use of generative AI, including large language models (LLMs) and other foundation models, as a support tool; stresses that the majority of current AI use cases aim to streamline back-office processes, with most applications representing low-hanging fruit rather than high-risk innovation; notes, however, that the use of AI to evaluate the creditworthiness of natural persons or establish their credit score, currently defined as high-risk in the AI Act, is prevalent and increasing; stresses that the deployment of fully autonomous AI systems in the financial sector should have human oversight15;oversight; notes that financial institutions continue to explore use cases involving GPAI models, the greater complexity of which entails higher operational and compliance risk, but also notes that these applications largely remain in the testing phase;

11. Stresses that the financial services sector is highly regulated, subject to multiple pieces of sectoral legislation at both national and EU level, requiring actors to manage risks in a variety of areas including data protection, data lineage, data quality, data governance, operational resilience, outsourcing, model risk, discriminatory outcomes, and market and credit risk, which together form the framework for AI deployment and governance in the financial services sector16;sector; emphasises, however, the importance of continuously monitoring regulatory gaps and evolving use cases of AI in finance, especially with a view to safeguarding consumer rights and the right to privacy;

17. Regrets that the EU is lagging behind in terms of AI innovation and investment, as illustrated by the EUR 33 billion in venture funding received by EU companies developing foundational models between 2018 and 2023, compared to over EUR 120 billion received by their US counterparts17;counterparts; believes that the financial services sector, as the largest spender on ICT services and products, has the potential to act as a catalyst in mobilising private investment in AI; calls, against the backdrop of slow AI investment in the EU’s financial sector, for an ambitious proposal to jump-start the European venture capital scene as part of the savings and investments union;