SBS adds enterprise AI layer to core banking software

SBS has launched SBS AI Foundation, an enterprise artificial intelligence layer embedded in its core banking, lending and digital banking products. The financial technology company said the platform is intended to help more than 1,500 client institutions use AI inside existing systems rather than through separate tools.

The company said the product is built on the SBS Data Platform and uses information already held in SBS systems. SBS said data remains governed and secured within each financial institution’s own environment, a design aimed at meeting the control expectations of regulators and auditors.

SBS AI Foundation adds a generative AI layer across the company’s product suite. According to SBS, the system is designed to support client onboarding, customer engagement, operations and risk management, while reducing manual work that can absorb staff time and technology budgets.

The launch reflects a wider issue for banks seeking to move AI beyond trials. SBS said only 34% of banks have scaled AI for a core process, such as regulatory reporting or credit decisioning. It said many institutions remain in pilots because of regulatory scrutiny and the difficulty of turning data held across numerous internal systems into information reliable enough for enterprise use.

How the platform is meant to work

Rather than connecting an external AI tool to a bank after implementation, SBS said the AI layer is linked to data from the products its clients already use. That structure is intended to reduce disruption to day-to-day operations and avoid requiring banks to move controlled data into a separate environment.

The mechanism matters for regulated lenders because AI tools depend on access to accurate, authorised data. If data are fragmented across operational systems, a bank may need additional infrastructure and controls before AI can be used in credit, compliance or reporting workflows. SBS said its position inside client operations gives its AI product a route to governed institutional data from existing platforms.

The first use cases include Customer Engagement Intelligence, which SBS said gives relationship managers a fuller view of each customer before meetings or service interactions. The company said the tool is intended to identify likely needs and possible offers so that conversations can be more relevant.

SBS also announced an AI Assistant for Banking Teams. The company said it allows staff in service, compliance and operations roles to ask questions of their own data and receive faster answers, reducing administration and manual work linked to routine decisions.

Eric Bierry, chief executive of SBS, said the company built the AI product into platforms clients already use after customers asked how to deploy AI safely while meeting regulatory requirements. He said SBS has worked with clients for 50 years on technology and data used to serve their customer bases.

SBS said the product is currently available only to selected clients. A wider rollout is planned for early 2027, according to the company.

This story draws on original reporting from Finextra Research.