[ITmedia Business Online] Fukuoka FG, AI interviews veteran's "intuition and exception handling" The reality of bank transformation initiated by "former salesman"

Fukuoka Financial Group (Fukuoka City, FFG), which is based in Kyushu, is proceeding with gradual business transformation using AI.

The company established an AI strategy group in 2024, and has been working on "Small Win," which involves replacing some existing tasks with AI. Currently, with the aim of ``AI-first management,'' where the business itself is redesigned with AI in mind, the bank is working to respond to inquiries within the bank, check documents, and turn the know-how of veteran bank employees into explicit knowledge.

"Rather than being an AI or IT expert, I'm someone who has been in the banking field for a long time."

Kyohei Rikihisa, chief researcher in FFG's DX Promotion Headquarters AI Strategy Group, talks about his career as follows. Joined Fukuoka Bank in 2011 and gained experience in corporate sales, mainly loan business, at a branch office. Utilizing his experience at a branch, he is responsible for incorporating AI into banking operations from a business perspective.

How has Fukuoka FG advanced DX?

FFG is a regional financial group that includes four banks, Fukuoka Bank, Kumamoto Bank, Juhachi Shinwa Bank, and Fukuoka Chuo Bank, as well as the digital bank Minna no Bank. Total assets exceed 32 trillion yen, approximately 6.6 million individual customers, and approximately 280,000 corporate clients.

The group has adopted a ``2-way approach'' in which ``exploring new businesses'' and ``evolving existing businesses'' are pursued in parallel to realize DX.

In search of new business, in 2016 we established "iBank Marketing" as an in-house venture within FFG, working to build a new financial platform that combines finance and non-finance. Furthermore, in a different format from existing banks, we are launching a ``Everyone's Bank'' that specializes in the digital native generation.

Meanwhile, in terms of evolving existing businesses, the company has made use of digital technology to improve the efficiency of banking operations and to improve the sophistication of customer services. In 2022, we will establish a DX Promotion Headquarters to centralize efforts that were previously dispersed across departments. After that, they established a department specializing in systems and data, and in 2024 established an AI strategy group.