AI agents break the inertia that sustains the banking revenue model in LATAM. To stay relevant, banks must act on three fronts: AI-readable products with open APIs, zero-trust infrastructure with dynamic consent, and ecosystems with clear governance. The value is already concrete: picking the best card on every purchase, sweeping leftover balances into a savings subaccount, or paying recurring bills with no late fees.
How retail and SME banking must reinvent its products, infrastructure and experience to stay relevant in the face of autonomous AI agents. At Delto we are convinced that banking in Latin America is already changing, led by AI agents capable of making financial decisions for and alongside people and businesses. Far from a distant hypothesis, this reality is already reshaping the fundamentals of the banking business. And at Delto, as a strategic partner in banking innovation, we believe that impact will be greater and better leveraged by those who anticipate it. The end of inertia: what does it mean for traditional banking? McKinsey explains that the classic banking revenue model –built on passive deposits and credit cards– rests on customer inertia: the lack of constant optimization of their resources. AI agents are ready to change that equation, transforming everything: from moving balances between accounts to earn a better return, to choosing the best card on every purchase. If the AI agent can do it, what should your bank do? Keys for LATAM We believe banks in our region must activate a clear strategy on three fronts: a) Products reimagined for agents Turn pricing, rates and rewards logic into formats that are readable and optimizable by AI, with open APIs and transparent metadata. Design products that are easy to compare and transparent, not only attractive to people but also choosable by AI agents, which today can help people make decisions and make optimized decisions on their behalf. b) Infrastructure ready for agents Adopt secure access architectures based on zero-trust: not trusting any user or device to connect to the organization until their identity is proven, verified and strictly necessary; and dynamic consent: letting users, in real time, allow or deny what data to share, with whom (or what) and when, with very granular control. Delto's AI agents, for example, use dynamic consent to pay bills. In addition, our CX Suite environment, which pre-processes information and runs it on Azure, ensures regulatory compliance and security. With our real-time traceability layers, banks can monitor every AI agent interaction. c) Ecosystems and governance Build your own ecosystem of agents. Redesign your commercial structure, monetization models (for example, revenue sharing, premium APIs) and clear governance around errors, accountability and regulation, as explained by McKinsey Company . What's at stake for financial institutions? According to McKinsey, in retail and SME banking in LATAM: There are SMEs using many banks for lack of scale and services, which opens the opportunity to win them over with scalable automation. There are agile banks in the region already winning by standing out in niches, digital banking and collaborative retail chains. We advise leveraging this regional advantage to pilot agent-based propositions: savings subaccounts with automatic sweeps, smart promotions, APIs for agents and real-time services. Agentic AI with Delto: a strategic partnership with a human vision We don't believe in plastic or “copy paste” solutions. Our approach understands that: Trust matters : it's not just about technology, but about human experience. Agents must be exposed, explainable and reversible. Macro genre, micro-LATAM focus : we know that our region still has constraints in infrastructure, regulation or digital culture. That's why we design progressive adoption roadmaps, with proofs of concept (SMEs, microsegments, digital channels) that demonstrate real incremental value and build trust. Internalized transformation : implementing AI is not enough; you have to train teams, adapt processes, and co-design with users and regulators. What do we recommend at Delto to get started? Everyday use cases with AI agents Beyond infrastructure and strategy, the real value is felt in people's daily lives. Consider simple examples: An AI agent can automatically pick the card that offers the best benefit to the customer on every purchase An AI agent can transfer the leftover balance of the week to a savings subaccount An AI agent can pay recurring bills such as the electricity bill automatically and ahead of time to avoid late fees These use cases show that starting to adopt AI agents is not an idealized futuristic promise, but a practical tool to improve customers' financial management and strengthen their relationship and satisfaction with their bank. Why Delto? Because we don't do standardized AI, chasing the AI hype or detached from each bank's context. We design strategies that are realistic, customer-centered, value-driven and adapted to your capabilities . In the era of AI agents, loyalty is not enough; we need constant performance. Shall we talk?
How do AI agents impact retail and SME banking in LATAM? They break the customer inertia that sustains the classic model of passive deposits and credit cards. An agent can move balances for a better return, choose the best card on every purchase, or pay recurring bills ahead of time, continuously optimizing the customer's resources.
What should a bank do to get ready for AI agents? Act on three fronts: turn products into formats that are readable and optimizable by AI with open APIs; adopt zero-trust infrastructure with dynamic consent and real-time traceability; and redesign its commercial structure, monetization and governance to operate with agents.
What concrete use cases do AI agents solve in banking today? Three everyday examples: automatically picking the card with the best benefit on each purchase, sweeping the week's leftover balance into a savings subaccount, and paying recurring bills such as electricity ahead of time to avoid late fees.