• HSBC identifies generative AI as its largest new technology investment area
• Around 85 percent of employees now have access to AI driven tools across the bank
• Artificial intelligence being used to redesign roughly 50 operational processes including fraud detection and credit applications
• Coding assistance tools helping engineers patch vulnerabilities up to five times faster
• Contact center AI tools introduced to improve customer support and service efficiency
• Banking sector expected to invest heavily in AI as institutions seek productivity and efficiency gains

HSBC is dramatically expanding its investment in generative artificial intelligence as the global banking group seeks to transform operations, improve employee productivity and enhance customer experience across its business.

Speaking during the bank’s fourth quarter earnings call, chief executive Georges Elhedery said generative AI has become the institution’s most significant area of technology investment.

“If you ask me where the biggest investment in new technology is going today, it is definitely going into generative AI,” Elhedery said, describing the technology as central to the bank’s digital transformation strategy.

HSBC has already rolled out generative AI tools to the vast majority of its workforce. According to the bank, around 85 percent of employees now have access to AI driven systems designed to support their work and help prepare staff for an increasingly digital financial sector.

Executives said the tools are being used to assist employees in a variety of ways, from automating repetitive tasks to helping engineers detect and resolve vulnerabilities in software code more quickly.

In one example, Elhedery said coding assistance tools are allowing engineers to patch vulnerabilities and update systems roughly five times faster than before.

Beyond individual productivity gains, HSBC is exploring how artificial intelligence can fundamentally redesign the way the bank operates. The institution is currently reviewing around 50 internal processes where AI could play a transformative role.

These include areas such as fraud detection, credit applications and other operational workflows that traditionally require large volumes of manual analysis.

By redesigning these processes using AI driven automation and data analysis, the bank hopes to accelerate decision making while strengthening internal controls.

HSBC is also deploying generative AI in customer facing environments. Tools have already been introduced in contact centers to assist staff with answering queries and resolving issues more efficiently.

Elhedery said the bank expects the technology to significantly improve the customer journey by enabling more personalized services and faster responses to client needs. Over time, the bank anticipates AI systems will help tailor products, recommendations and communications to individual customers.

The move reflects a broader shift across the global banking industry as institutions race to integrate artificial intelligence into both operational and client facing functions.

According to a recent survey by KPMG, banks plan to spend an average of $133 million on AI initiatives over the next year.

More than eight out of ten banking executives surveyed said they intend to continue investing in artificial intelligence even if short term financial returns remain difficult to measure.

Several large financial institutions have already announced similar strategies. UBS chief executive Sergio Ermotti recently said the Swiss bank is investing in a portfolio of large scale AI programs aimed at improving operational resilience, enhancing client service and increasing efficiency across both front and back office operations.

Canadian lender TD Bank has also embraced the technology at scale. The bank deployed around 75 artificial intelligence use cases in 2025 covering areas such as loan underwriting, intelligent lead generation and customer relationship management.

TD’s chief executive Raymond Chun said the bank plans to expand its focus this year by redesigning entire operational workflows using AI driven systems.

Executives believe emerging technologies such as agent based AI could dramatically reshape how banks manage internal processes and client services.

For HSBC, the immediate goal is to combine generative AI capabilities with improvements in data processing and operational efficiency.

Elhedery said the bank expects the technology to deliver multiple benefits simultaneously. Artificial intelligence should help create a more productive workforce, streamline operational processes and strengthen internal safeguards against risk.

“The result is a more productive bank, a more efficient bank and a safe bank with stronger controls,” he said.

As competition intensifies across the financial sector, HSBC’s aggressive push into generative AI suggests the technology is rapidly moving from experimental pilot projects into the core infrastructure of global banking.