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• Agentic AI, with its autonomous decision-making capabilities, is set to revolutionise finance more profoundly than the Internet by automating complex tasks like trading, compliance, and personalised financial management.
• While the Internet empowered users with access, Agentic AI shifts intelligence to machines, enabling 24/7 financial services and raising the need for robust oversight to manage risks and maintain trust.

The Internet has already transformed finance �� think online banking, digital trading floors and 24/7 global markets. As one analysis notes, “the internet has been one of the most revolutionary and disruptive technologies in history, creating a major paradigm shift.�� It slashed fees and gave consumers unprecedented information (electronic markets, automatic order execution, more transparency). Now, a new wave of AI �� Agentic AI �� promises an even bigger shake-up. This next-generation AI doesn’t just present data faster; it can make decisions on its own. In finance, experts argue, it could upend business models and jobs more profoundly than the Internet ever did.

The Internet’s Legacy in Finance

Before looking ahead, it helps to remember what the Internet did. In the 1990s and 2000s, it smashed old barriers. Retail investors could finally trade from �첩���¹��� and instantly download company reports �� a far cry from waiting days for postal mail. Broker fees collapsed as electronic trading took over. Online banking and mobile payments turned high-street branches into background services. In short, the Internet gave consumers direct access to markets and information, lowered costs and turbocharged innovation. It built the digital foundations of modern finance. Yet for all this change, humans still made the key decisions: we had to click, type in orders, and read the data. Agentic AI is different �� it can act on that information automatically.

Agentic AI: A New Frontier in Banking

Agentic AI refers to autonomous AI agents that collaborate, learn and act with minimal human prompting. As Citi describes it, this means “an artificial intelligence that can make autonomous decisions without human intervention��. The World Economic Forum similarly explains that agentic AI “goes beyond Generative AI by enabling autonomous decision-making, collaboration and learning to revolutionise financial services��. In practice, agentic systems form teams of AI “agents�� driven by large language models. These agents can tackle complex, multi-step processes much like human experts would: they plan, sense new data, adapt strategies and keep improving. 

In real terms, imagine a virtual analyst that not only gathers market data but also independently adjusts investment strategies. The WEF paints the picture: “Imagine a trading AI agent that analyses market data and autonomously monitors market trends, deciphers trading signals, adjusts strategies and mitigates risks in real-time.�� This autonomous agent could be deployed 24/7, handling tasks that once needed teams of traders and quants. In this way, agentic AI shifts intelligence from humans to machines. Rather than just displaying information, it becomes an active player �� automating processes, optimisation and decision-making across finance.

Applications of Agentic AI in Finance

Many banks and fintechs are already experimenting. A recent report highlights key use cases: everything from compliance monitoring and deepfake fraud detection to automated customer onboarding (KYC), wealth and credit management, and treasury workflows. In practice, routine data-intensive tasks can be handed off to AI. For example, an agentic system could scan thousands of transactions to flag anomalies or autonomously compile reports for regulators. In the “Do-It-For-Me�� economy, customers might each have a personal finance agent. Citi notes users will have AI bots to “choose products and execute transactions�� on their behalf, pushing competition as startups innovate. In short, work that banks once outsourced or required humans for is increasingly done by AI agents. 

Beyond operations, agentic AI can drive new services. The technology can streamline operations by automating data entry, compliance checks and trade settlements, freeing staff for strategic roles. It also drives innovation in products: adaptive robo-advisors could automatically rebalance portfolios in response to market moves. Importantly, agents can learn from experience. Where earlier AI only spotted patterns, agentic AI can use those patterns to make and adjust decisions, effectively “powering decision-making�� to automate entire workflows. As BlackLine’s CTO notes, traditional systems lacked true decision-making ability; agentic AI fills that gap, critically “driving further workflow automation�� in finance.

Why Agentic AI is Even More Disruptive

What makes agentic AI potentially more disruptive than the Internet is the shift in who (or what) is making decisions. The Internet connected users and information; agentic AI itself becomes a decision-maker in finance. In many ways, it extends the Internet era. Institutions poured billions into online platforms and data feeds; now, similar sums will go into intelligent agents. Experts argue this is an even bigger leap: Citi suggests agentic AI could have “a bigger impact on the economy and finance than the internet era��. 

Consider how finance functions today. Even with digital banking, humans still mostly control strategy. Agentic AI could change that. Agents can personalise service at scale �� the WEF describes highly personalised AI agents that “can manage finances, make optimised decisions and align strategies with individual goals and risk levels��. In effect, every customer could get a digital financial coach, 24/7, far beyond current chatbots. On the institutional side, portfolio management, risk analysis and credit decisions could happen at machine speed and scale. By processing data faster and more accurately than any human team, agentic AI promises to push finance towards a new level of autonomy. This fundamental change �� moving from user-driven Internet apps to self-directed AI systems �� is why many see agentic AI as a true structural shift, not just another gadget.

Risks and Human Oversight

These advances sound exciting, but they carry risks. The WEF warns that agentic AI raises concerns about labour disruption, privacy, volatility and governance. Routine jobs in data entry, audit and even asset management may shrink as agents take over. Systems that trade or approve loans autonomously could introduce new market swings or bias if not tightly managed. Financial regulators and banks must ensure robust oversight. As researcher Pawel Gmyrek notes, aiming for a “human above the loop�� remains essential �� AI should complement human judgement, not replace accountability. In practice, this means keeping skilled people in charge of strategy and monitoring AI. For example, firms should implement dynamic data pipelines and explainable models so that decisions can be audited. Transparency and ethics will be crucial, especially in high-stakes areas like credit scoring or trading, to maintain trust in an AI-driven finance system.

The Road Ahead

Agentic AI is still emerging, but the momentum is clear. Financial services have become early adopters of AI, and this next phase will only deepen their investment. Citi notes that banks are already the heaviest spenders on technology, and that trend is extending to Agentic AI. In the UK, 75% of financial firms now use AI, and analysts forecast the UK AI market could hit around £230 billion by 2025. One report even estimates AI could contribute some £300 billion a year to the UK economy by 2050. 

In summary, while the Internet brought information and connectivity, agentic AI brings autonomous intelligence to finance. If it delivers on its promise, it could disrupt everything from trading floors to customer service in ways we’re only beginning to imagine. For banks, regulators and customers, the message is clear: this new digital wave may well dwarf the last one. The finance sector that embraces agentic AI, with the right safeguards, stands to gain a powerful competitive edge in the coming era.