Banks across Asia are moving beyond traditional digital transformation toward what industry leaders are calling “intelligent banking”, where real-time data, contextual decision-making and AI-powered workflows are becoming central to customer experience and operational resilience.
Speaking at NexTech BFSI 2026 Summit, Ramesh Mallya, Chief Technology Officer at DBS Bank said transformation is no longer just about digitising manual processes or automating workflows, but about enabling banks to make faster, context-aware decisions in real time.
The executive noted that many banks have already completed the first phase of digitisation, moving from paper-based and manual operations into digital systems. However, the next phase is being driven by intelligence rather than automation alone.
According to Mallya, traditional “if-then-else” decision models are not sufficient as banks process increasingly large and dynamic datasets. Instead, financial institutions are adopting newer workflow-driven and multi-process models that can interpret customer context more effectively.
Context is becoming the new currency
DBS Bank leverages customer context in its workflow processes by feeding AI/ML algorithms thousands of data points to drive real-time, context-aware decisions. The bank uses this data to make predictive insights, personalise the customer experience and further improve operational efficiency.
Mallya explained that customer context is becoming critical in modern banking, with the same data producing different outcomes depending on changing real-world circumstances.
“Data availability is there, but without the context and without applying the human angle, it is not going to help or scale up.”
He illustrated how identical datasets can be interpreted differently based on environmental and situational context, highlighting the growing importance of adaptive intelligence in financial services.
Mallya said the banking transactions are increasingly becoming embedded into broader digital ecosystems and AI-driven platforms, rather than remaining confined to banking applications and branches. This shift is driving demand for real-time enterprises that can process events instantly, identify service disruptions automatically and respond proactively to customer needs.
Four key shifts reshaping banking technology
Mallya outlined four major technology shifts transforming modern banking architectures:
● Moving from systems of record to systems of intelligence
● Transitioning from batch processing to event-driven systems
● Replacing static workflows with dynamic workflows
● Reinforcing customer trust through secure and resilient platforms
He noted that modern banking systems now rely heavily on real-time signals generated across infrastructure, APIs and applications to improve customer experiences and operational resilience.
“It’s no longer bookkeeping. A transaction happens, real-time checking happens on fraud, real-time information goes back to the customer, and signals are sent to ecosystem partners instantly,” he added.
Despite the growing adoption of AI and automation, the future of financial services will increasingly depend on how effectively institutions combine intelligent automation with human judgment. The next phase of banking transformation will be defined by the ability to deliver contextual, predictive and deeply personalised experiences in an interconnected digital economy.
“At DBS, we call it AI with a heart. Technology enables decision-making and provides insights, but at the end of the day, humans are in the loop.”
