SEI and IBM Revolutionize Finance with Agentic AI

SEI and IBM Join Forces to Modernize Finance

In the financial sector, the integration of agentic AI has become crucial for achieving effective operational automation. Financial infrastructure provider SEI has chosen to collaborate with IBM to modernize its internal operations. This joint initiative focuses on redesigning processes and targeted updates to systems, aiming to deliver consistent customer experiences while establishing a modern, data-driven foundation.

Deploying intelligent agents goes beyond merely selecting a base model. To achieve a true return on investment, it is essential to audit existing workflows and identify areas where human effort is wasted on repetitive administrative tasks. Financial institutions are finding that automating standard queries and basic data entry can reduce processing times by up to 40%, allowing staff to focus on high-value customer relationships.

Auditing Systems for Successful AI Integration

The adoption of new technologies can stagnate if applied to failing systems. SEI and IBM Consulting are conducting a comprehensive review of SEI's current operational systems to chart a better path forward. SEI experts are working directly with IBM to assess data architecture, systems, and daily routines. This discovery phase is crucial for governance and risk management.

Identifying the exact opportunities to integrate intelligent agents ensures that tools operate within defined limits to meet changing business needs. The IBM Enterprise Advantage platform serves as the technical foundation for this redesign, guiding deployment to enhance decision-making across the enterprise and enrich the customer experience.

Sean Denham, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at SEI, emphasized the importance of this investment: “As SEI enters its next phase of growth, investing in our operations is just as critical as investing in what we deliver. IBM brings deep technical and industry expertise that will strengthen our solid operational foundation and strategic vision.”

Towards Increased Productivity Through AI

The implementation of agentic AI systems can have a direct impact on workforce productivity, not just in the financial sector. Automating routine tasks helps businesses improve the consistency of their output and streamline customer interactions. Employees, freed from manual data entry, can focus on solving complex problems and providing proactive customer support.

Denham stated: “Automation will allow our teams to spend less time on manual and repetitive tasks and more time on higher-value activities focused on relationships—thus elevating service quality, strengthening our clients' trust, and creating more opportunities for professional growth.”

Machine learning models require clean and well-regulated data to function without generating errors. Partnerships between financial players and major technology providers highlight the need to combine deep regulatory knowledge with engineering resources.

Glenn Finch, Head of Financial Services in the U.S. at IBM Consulting, commented: “SEI has a long-standing reputation for operational excellence and building integrated solutions in a complex and highly regulated industry. By combining SEI's deep knowledge of its business with IBM's expertise in process intelligence and agentic AI, we can unlock new levels of efficiency across the enterprise.”

Prioritizing operational resilience and strict data hygiene allows financial organizations to implement agentic AI securely. Achieving improvements in terms of P&L requires meticulously mapping business processes before writing any code.