During Fintech Americas 2026, Julián Colombo shared a profound vision of how Artificial Intelligence has evolved from a laboratory experiment into the central engine of the financial industry.
- AI as a Business Driver: What was an incipient project just 4 or 5 years ago now represents 50% of N5’s business. Colombo predicts that within 6 to 7 years, the industry will be strictly AI-driven; traditional call centers will disappear, giving way to intelligent agents capable of resolving everything via voice.
- The Challenge of Building on Shifting Ground: One of the biggest hurdles for CEOs today is that AI is not yet a mature technology. Colombo recounts how they invested 3 million dollars over a year into a development that was surpassed in just one hour by the release of open standards (such as Anthropic’s MCPs). The key is not to regret the investment, but to embrace the acceleration these standards provide.
- The “Democratization of Empathy”: This is perhaps the most disruptive concept of the talk. Serving a customer in a physical branch costs approximately 7 dollars, which has historically excluded millions of low-income individuals who are not profitable for the traditional banking model. AI allows for human-like, patient, and expert support through channels like WhatsApp at a fraction of the cost, enabling true financial inclusion for the most vulnerable sectors.
- Banking Particularities: Unlike a restaurant, where a line of 500 people is great news, in a bank, it is a sign of fraud or a failing risk model. N5’s differentiator lies in understanding these subtleties: a regulated, risk-averse industry with complex orchestration across multiple channels (email, WhatsApp, ATMs, POS).
Innovation in Fintech is not just about technology; it is about mastering the industry’s context and using tools like AI to solve productivity issues, reduce risks, and, above all, provide a more human and accessible service for everyone.
