Agentic AI: The Quiet Revolution Reshaping Banking
By Gus Quiroga, Head of Pacific at Temenos
Agentic AI isn’t just another tech trend—it’s a structural shift that will redefine decision-making. Over the next five years, autonomous digital agents will move from theory to practice, executing complex tasks before human intervention. Imagine AI agents negotiating trades, detecting fraud, and orchestrating entire banking operations. This isn’t science fiction—it’s a strategic inevitability.
The Conversation Starts Here
This was the focus of a recent panel at the Temenos Pacific End-of-Year Celebration, moderated by Gus Quiroga, Head of Pacific Region at Temenos. Experts from banking, academia, and economics explored how Agentic AI will reshape business models, regulatory frameworks, and talent strategies.
From Products to Decisions
The panel agreed: the macroeconomic impact will be gradual, but organizational change will be profound. Businesses will shift from product-centric models to decision-centric ecosystems, where speed and quality of decisions become the ultimate advantage.
As Dr. Roger Moser of Macquarie University noted:
“We are moving toward a decision-dominant logic where optimizing decisions on pricing, resource allocation, and customer interactions will compound improvements over time.”
Expect new roles like decision architects and AI auditors, focused on setting goals and guardrails rather than manual execution.
Trust: The Non-Negotiable
In banking, trust isn’t optional—it’s engineered. Regulatory compliance and decision traceability will dictate adoption speed. European regulations already demand 100% accuracy and full auditability of AI-driven decisions. This pushes banks toward hybrid workflows: deterministic “heavy lifters” paired with agentic layers.
Beyond compliance, trust will become a competitive differentiator. Customers will choose institutions whose AI decisions feel fair and transparent. Immutable audit trails, cryptographic signing, and verifiable APIs are no longer luxuries—they’re foundational.
Talent Transformation
AI won’t eliminate jobs—it will evolve them. Roles will shift toward orchestration, supervision, and audit. Organizations must invest in retraining programs now. Waiting for natural attrition risks knowledge loss and operational gaps. Leadership must communicate clearly to secure buy-in and reduce resistance.
Adoption: Start Smart
As John Simon, former Head of Economic Research at the Reserve Bank of Australia, reminded us:
“Significant gains remain in deploying deterministic AI before embracing agentic systems.”
A phased approach reduces risk and builds confidence. Many institutions still rely on legacy tools like Excel and COBOL—there’s low-hanging fruit to capture before full agentic deployment.
The Strategic Imperative
Agentic AI will reshape business models. Outcome-based pricing will replace input-based billing, aligning incentives with customer success. Proprietary data and algorithmic superiority will become the new competitive moats.
The winners will be those who combine technological ambition with ethical clarity and strategic foresight.
What Leaders Should Do Now
- Engineer trust into every layer of AI architecture.
- Invest in talent strategies for decision architects and AI auditors.
- Adopt a phased approach, starting with deterministic systems.
- Recognize every tech choice today shapes your competitive position in 2030.
Agentic AI is coming—quietly or with a bang. The question is: how prepared are you?