The changing definitions of customer experiences in the domain of financial services have led to growing demand for better solutions in financial analysis, forecasting, and financial engineering. With the rising adoption of machine learning in finance, it is important to check how you can use ML to improve financial services. Some of the popular financial institutions, including banks such as JP Morgan and investment funds, have embraced AI in their business operations.

As a matter of fact, around 70% of all financial services institutions use machine learning in some form. Machine learning can serve the domain of finance with different applications that can help with optimization of processes in different departments and types of businesses. Let us take a look at some of the most popular use cases of machine learning for financial services. 

 

How Can You Use Machine Learning in Finance?

Machine learning is a broad subdomain in computer science that helps computers learn from data without the need for special programming. It has emerged as a significant tool for improving processes and systems in different sectors, such as healthcare, retail, and manufacturing. The search for answers to queries like “How is machine learning used for finance?” draws attention to capabilities of machine learning to serve different areas, including social media communications and marketing.

Therefore, it is easy to imagine how machine learning can transform the world of finance. For example, machine learning can empower automation in finance with models for credit risk predictions. Banks can use credit risk prediction models to determine the possible risks of certain lending decisions. 

Machine learning can also serve as a useful tool for improving finance by recommending suitable financial products at the right time. The use of machine learning in finance can help banks determine which customers they must approach for their new services. As a result, banks can ensure better management of their service portfolio alongside reducing costs through automation of repetitive processes. Machine learning models also help improve asset management and trading decisions by analyzing big data sources.

 

 

Notable Facts about the Use of ML in Finance 

Before you discuss the real-life use cases of machine learning for finance, it is important to learn some facts about ML in finance. Statistics about machine learning in finance industry can help in understanding how machine learning has matured into a trusted tool for transforming financial services. Research by the World Economic Forum and Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance has revealed that around 56% of financial services companies have embraced machine learning for risk management.

The banking sector has gradually increased the adoption of machine learning technology. Around 75% of executives at banks with more than $100 billion in their assets have reported that they are working on adoption of AI and ML technologies. On top of that, 48% of US bank executives believe that generative AI can help in empowering customer-facing virtual assistants and chatbots. Therefore, it is important to discuss the opportunities for machine learning in the financial services industry. 

Machine learning can serve as a powerful resource for making sense of large collections of data by discovering important patterns. The insights from machine learning systems can help enhance business processes, serve prediction tasks, and make informed decisions. Let us take a look at some of the top applications of machine learning in the domain of financial services.

 

• Financial Monitoring 

The most important machine learning use case in finance is financial monitoring. Machine learning can help in enhancing tools such as investor dashboards and budgeting apps that are the best picks for monitoring financial health. In the domain of finance, financial monitoring is also referred to as personal capital management.

Financial monitoring tools help financial advisors track their expenses and guide people toward their financial goals. The accuracy of machine learning can improve financial monitoring tools and notify users about discrepancies in their budget planning. Such tools can help create recommendations to ensure adjustments to individuals’ financial planning methods.

• Automation of Financial Services

Different companies leverage automation with machine learning for cost reduction. Financial institutions such as banks can have an application program interface that can generate new account applications. With machine learning in finance, the API team can automate their workflow.

As a result, they could focus more on tasks such as interacting with customers and providing advice. Automation also helps reduce paperwork, which is a major goal for different financial firms. According to Reuters, banks would spend billions of dollars every year on compliance activities and paperwork. Financial advisors can also use machine learning to avoid mistakes in manual data entry tasks. 

• Data Management 

The applications of ML in finance also involve data management. Data management is a crucial requirement in the financial services sector as it helps collect, store, and segment data for better analysis. The use of machine learning in finance can help in enhancing data management to ensure effective monitoring of volatility in financial markets. For example, ML systems can monitor data about all transactions by a firm to recognize patterns or trends that may indicate malicious activities.

• Trading Assistance 

Trading strategies used commonly by firms have a major effect on efficiency and costs. The applications of machine learning systems can offer new prospects for creating trading strategies based on algorithms. You can find examples of ‘How is machine learning used in finance?’ in the algorithmic trading tools.

The algorithms can automatically purchase and sell on your behalf according to market conditions. As a result, trading firms can prevent placing trades that cannot offer the desired profits. Algorithmic trading strategies have emerged as a popular alternative to ensure efficient management of risk alongside generating more returns. 

• Loan Approval

Financial institutions have to deal with a lot of paperwork in the process of loan approval. The manual process involves a review of loan applications to make decisions for approval. It can be a costly and time-consuming process. However, loan approvals provide the scope for a popular machine learning use case in finance with new ML systems. The new systems can ensure automatic review of loan applications.

On top of it, machine learning can also make recommendations rather than just provide approval or deny loan applications. It helps save time and ensures approval of loans for people who would pay back the loans. As a result, ML algorithms can help in lowering the risks for lenders.

• Fraud Detection 

Machine learning systems can also help financial service firms detect fraud. The traditional methods involved rule-based systems that used predefined criteria to point out malicious transactions. However, the uses of machine learning in finance industry have been evolving. As a result, ML systems can offer faster data analysis with better accuracy.

On top of it, machine learning systems can also identify anomalies and patterns that indicate potentially malicious activities. For instance, Amazon Fraud Detector by AWS uses ML algorithms to comprehensively analyze transaction data and predict the possibility of fraud risk in real-time. Therefore, machine learning can help financial institutions reduce operational, reputational, and financial risks. 

• Regulatory Compliance 

Compliance is an integral aspect of the financial services sector. However, it is difficult for financial institutions to stay updated with new changes in regulations across different countries and jurisdictions within a country. Failure to comply with regulations can lead to penalties and loss of reputation. 

On the other hand, machine learning algorithms can help identify potential violations in regulatory compliance. ML systems can also create reports for regulatory agencies to prove that financial institutions follow all the required regulations. 

• Churn Prediction 

Another prominent case of ML being used in finance is churn prediction. It helps in checking out which customers would leave a financial services firm or platform. Such applications of machine learning in finance involve churn tracking, which helps identify potential areas for improvement.

For example, financial services firms can offer better training to their advisors and improve their customer experiences. On top of it, churn prediction also helps develop a better understanding of customers and figure out potential ways to prevent churn. With the right ML tools, advisors can also identify the clients who are likely to leave and offer useful advice to them.

 

 

Final Words      

The use of machine learning in diverse areas of the financial services sector provides new opportunities for transforming finance. Machine learning is a powerful innovation that can elevate the world of finance to the next level. However, the use of machine learning in finance must follow certain best practices and standards to achieve the best results.

Some of the prominent uses of machine learning systems in finance include risk management, data management, and algorithmic trading and churn prediction. With the right training approaches, you can find new ways to transform the world of finance with machine learning. Find more information about the other use cases of ML algorithms in finance and discover how machine learning can serve as a transformative force for finance.

LeackStat 2024