AI driven solutions are becoming a competitive differentiator for banks and other financial services — delivering a hyper-personalised customer experience, improving decision-making and boosting operational efficiency. Yet, many financial services institutions (FIs) remain in an experimental phase and will need to accelerate actual AI deployment. Otherwise, they risk being left behind by digitally native players.

The rollout of 5G has been met with an element of scepticism. There are questions around whether the technology will deliver on expectations, concerns around security for both businesses and consumers and, although not proven, worries about potential health risks. Whatever reservations people may have, the fifth generation of cellular technology is upon us, bringing with it an abundance of opportunity for businesses to capitalise on increased data speed and potential new revenue-generating models as well as benefits for society at large.

Many banks and other financial services institutions (FIs) are beginning to recognise the benefits of AI-driven solutions as a way to get ahead in the market and challenge the competition. Amongst many other benefits, the technology enables organisations to offer hyper-personalised customer experience, dramatically improve internal decision making, and drive operational efficiency. However, many businesses are struggling to move beyond the experimental phase and reach actual AI deployment. It is those organisations that are at risk of being left behind.

This month, some of the world’s largest interdealer brokers, who negotiate OTC trades between the big banks, have seen record trading volumes as sudden changes in interest rates, coupled with the plummeting oil price, trigger a whirlwind of global price volatility.

The Internet of Things is now powering industries but we have only scratched the surface of what’s possible. The advent of 5G will enable enterprise companies to have unprecedented insight into the digitization of almost everything. As 5G rolls out nationally and offers more reliable connectivity, the manufacturing companies that forego increased digitization within their plants will be left behind financially. Especially with the rise of smart factories – digitally connected production facilities that improve processes through automation and self-optimization, traditional manufacturing operations will be at a disadvantage.

It takes a lot to lead a business. And while there are several things you can do to ensure you’re being the best leader, other rules may best thrown out.

To provide a positive experience at a stressful time requires insurers to rethink how they approach customer service and explore how AI can improve communications and accelerate claims handling.

The Central Securities Depositories Regime (CSDR) has been at the top of many agendas in the asset servicing industry for some time now. The regulation addresses Europe’s settlement systems, to create a smarter and more efficient industry best practice.

Cognizant has witnessed a slew of changes in terms of its strategy, spearheaded by Brian Humphries who took charge as CEO on 1 April, 2019. Mr. Humphries talks about the company’s strategy and hiring plans.

Software services exporter Cognizant will double investments in building cloud capabilities this year, CEO Brian Humphries told ET, as the company pushes to grow faster in digital technologies and regain its bellwether status.

The science of applied artificial intelligence doesn't get the same kinds of headlines as the pure research efforts of Google or Facebook or others. Mostly that's because what gets built by companies is obfuscated by those same companies, either for proprietary reasons or because the companies actually have nothing much to speak of.

In the race to the top with technology adoption, the industry has reached an inflection point where businesses are arguably becoming too obsessed with their technology prowess. However, in the rush to innovate, the industry may have missed a step in translating technology investments into true business impact.

The National Broadcast Network has been a hot talking point across the corporate and technology sectors for more than a decade, with everything from timing and logistics to the underlying technology and rollout drawing a lot of attention.

The future of work is always in the future, but it is approaching much faster than ever before. We believe 2020 will be the year of realisation for many organisations and leaders. Here are our top five predictions of how the way we work, live and play will change in 2020.

Customer satisfaction is not just a measure of how well a company’s products or services meet or exceed customer expectations, but also a critical determinant of overall business success. In this article, we explore customer satisfaction and its importance through selected quotes from leading industry experts.

The US$8.8 trillion industry is growing at 3.9 per cent ― ahead of the global economy for the eighth consecutive year ― and continues to be one of the most dynamic industries. In this day and age of selfies and social media, travel industry providers must distinguish themselves in providing “Insta-worthy” experiences.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the power to completely transform the way we do things, personally and in business. We have seen many cases of small businesses that have used AI to deliver exceptional services and products that go on to outshine the competition, or examples where businesses have completely revolutionised an internal process.

Hollywood film-making is a boom-bust business. But might fast evolving technologies like AI improve the odds?

Perhaps so.

The digital era is catalysing business; it is unleashing technological change that may appear chaotic on the surface, but is resulting in massively powerful systems of intelligence that enable humans and machines to collaborate securely. By opening up newer means of communication with large data exchanges, new, connected ecosystems are changing the way people, devices and organizations exist, work and interact.

Would you buy a product or service from a company you have not heard of but was recommended by your voice-based personal assistant? Well, 46% of consumers in Southeast Asia recently surveyed said they would.

If you have been exploring blockchains and distributed ledger technology (DLT), you know it’s a noisy and confusing space. As with any early tech, very smart people disagree about what the future will look like. Fueled by open source tools, innovation has dispersed and accelerated to a pace at which no organization on their own can keep up. Throw in a steep learning curve, and it’s really hard to know if you are making the right move. So what can you do?

As we look ahead to the trends and technologies that will likely dominate this next year and decade, it makes sense to begin by unpacking how AI might continue its march forward and the opportunities it will create for female entrepreneurs, engineers, marketers, and others.

“The pace of business change has intensified dramatically as the fruits of digital technologies expand to the entire economy in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In 2020, I hope to see the transformative potential of technologies such as artificial intelligence and automation reach the next level in helping businesses solve bigger challenges and invent entirely new products, services and experiences.”

In mid December, LinkedIn revealed that Artificial Intelligence (AI) Specialist was the top emerging job for 2020; this may not be of much surprise but it does beg the question of what AI specialists actually do, and what the job entails. What are the exact skills and knowledge businesses need from AI Specialists?

(First published in The Business Times, Singapore, on January 3.) If we were to think of digital networking as vehicles, 3G would now seem like riding a cart, 4G like driving an economy car with decent mileage, and 5G would be like breaking the sound barrier with an F-16 fighter jet. Put simply, speed is the benchmark for network connectivity, and 5G is set to be more than 30 times faster than the fastest available option.