Over the past several years, most banks have experimented with virtual assistants in one form or another — deploying chatbots in mobile banking apps, automating FAQs across digital channels, or piloting conversational support journeys designed to reduce customer effort. While some of these initiatives showed early promise, very few have scaled in a meaningful or sustainable way. The Experimental Phase Is Over Consumers have already answered the question of whether they’re willing to engage with conversational AI in financial services — and increasingly, the answer is yes. A growing number now turn to conversational AI tools to ask questions about financial concepts, compare product options, or seek guidance in moments of uncertainty that might previously have required a call to a contact center or a visit to a branch. Importantly, these interactions don’t always happen within the bank’s own channels.…