Elan Arnowitz & Alessandro Luciano — Insight Partners - AI in financial services is here: How firms are adopting and where they’re stuck - December 2025 logo

Elan Arnowitz & Alessandro Luciano — Insight Partners - AI in financial services is here: How firms are adopting and where they’re stuck - December 2025

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How financial services are adopting AI and where they're stuck

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Type
Open Source
Founded
1995
Company
Insight Partners

About Elan Arnowitz & Alessandro Luciano — Insight Partners - AI in financial services is here: How firms are adopting and where they’re stuck - December 2025

This article by Elan Arnowitz and Alessandro Luciano of Insight Partners examines the current state of AI adoption in financial services, based on conversations with hundreds of founders, executives, and operators. It highlights that while financial institutions are broadly bullish on AI, ROI remains hard to measure and firms are becoming increasingly selective. The article identifies a rare top-down and bottom-up alignment pushing AI adoption, with main use cases including investment knowledge management, developer efficiency (especially for legacy systems), and customer service. It also mentions emerging startups like Rogo, Metal, Reflexivity, Swimm, and CoreStory that are addressing these needs while preserving compliance and control.

Key Features

Insights from financial services executives and CIOs
Analysis of AI ROI uncertainty and measurement challenges
Top-down and bottom-up push for AI adoption
Coverage of investment knowledge management use case
Developer efficiency and legacy system modernization
Customer service AI applications in finance
Mention of emerging startups (Rogo, Metal, Reflexivity, Swimm, CoreStory)

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Provides real-world perspectives from industry leaders
  • Addresses both excitement and skepticism about AI in finance
  • Identifies specific use cases with concrete examples
  • Covers challenges like legacy systems and compliance
  • Mentions relevant startups solving these problems
Cons
  • Focuses on early-stage insights rather than detailed implementation guidance
  • May not cover all sub-sectors of financial services equally
  • Relies primarily on U.S.-based perspectives (Implicit from context, not stated)

Best For

Investment knowledge management for analysts and portfolio managersDeveloper efficiency and code maintenance for legacy systemsCustomer service with AI agents accessing internal documents

FAQ

How much is the financial services sector expected to spend on AI by 2027?
The sector is expected to spend nearly $100B on AI by 2027, according to the article.
What are the main challenges to AI adoption in financial services?
Legacy systems, governance requirements, hard-to-measure ROI, and the need for control, compliance, and precision.
What are the top AI use cases in financial services according to the article?
Investment knowledge management, developer efficiency (especially for COBOL/mainframe systems), and customer service.
Who are some startups mentioned as addressing these challenges?
Rogo, Metal, Reflexivity, Swimm, and CoreStory.