Kate, KBC's Personal Assistant Empowered by Generative Intelligence Qorus-Infosys Finacle Banking Innovation Awards 2025

1. Concept

Imagine a future where banking is not just seamless but proactive, where an assistant not only responds to your needs but anticipates them. Enter Kate, KBC's revolutionary always-on, AI-powered personal assistant - launched in 2020, lang before GenAI became mainstream. She blends the reliability of traditional AI with innovative prowess of responsible generative AI to serve, guide delight over two million customers in Dutch, French, English and German. Available 24/7 via KBC's mobile banking app for private customers and a dedicated web portal for corporate clients, Kate handles everything from unblocking payment cards to offering investment nudges. Kate is not just reactive; she proactively solves problems and spots commercial opportunities, smartly routing them to either a human expert or directly to the customer. Kate is setting new benchmarks in customer experience and redefining the future of banking.

2. Objectives Kate's objective is to revolutionize banking by being ever-present and proactively anticipating customer's needs before they arise: * available 24/7 * Kate proactively solves problems, delivering seamless, human-like interactions that elevate customer experience. * By freeing up employees for high-empathy moments such as bereavement, first investments. * Kate spots commercial opportunities and route them smartly - either to a human intermediary or directly to the customer often proposing an E2E online process. Kate not only sets new benchmarks in banking but also exemplifies the future of AI-powered customer service. It is really simple: always ask you question to Kate first. When Kate can not help, Kate will refer directly to the right colleague to get your answer in the fastest way. No question will remain unanswered, as a customer you will always be helped. This really simplifies the contact approach for customers.

3. Reasons behind We are driven by a strong vision of what an AI-powered future will look like, revolutionazing the banking experience for our customers enabling a next level customer experience and empowering our employees to reach unparalleled heights. By seamlessly integrating advanced AI with human empathy, our innovative approach not only meets but anticipates customer needs, delivering exceptional service 24/7 with unmatched efficiency and precision.

4. Sources of inspiration Bank of America's Erica

5. Departments involved * Main driver: Transformation department (Mobile & Kate departments) * Data Science * IT infrastructure * Retail network