For years, the financial services industry has been told that machine learning and artificial intelligence would transform its future.
That time is now, and Experian will spotlight it at its annual Vision Conference in October. Experian brings together clients and partners every year where Experian and industry leaders showcase what's next for financial services. At this year's event in Miami, the focus will be on how AI, cloud infrastructure, fraud prevention, and responsible data practices are converging to give providers more accurate, more scalable tools.
Proven ROI From the Experian Ascend Platform™
A recent Forrester Total Economic Impact study found that institutions using Experian's Ascend Platform™ achieved a 183% return on investment within three years, with payback in less than 12 months. The study cited $13.3 million in net present value, a 20% reduction in default costs, and a 5% increase in annual application volume without additional staff.
Jeff Softley, CEO of Experian North America, said the findings reflect the industry's new reality. "Financial institutions are under pressure to do more with less. The Experian Ascend Platform is helping them cut costs, shorten decision cycles, prevent fraud, and accelerate growth. The ROI demonstrates that the platform is making a measurable difference."
Supporting this shift is a modern cloud architecture that centralizes data once scattered across multiple servers. The result of years of strategic planning and carefully nurtured technology migration to the cloud, this change has improved access, security, and scalability while enabling advanced AI applications and large language models.
That same infrastructure underpins growing fraud prevention capabilities. By combining device intelligence, identity verification, and machine learning, financial institutions can detect anomalies in real time, reduce false positives, and protect customers from losses. The capability to deploy these tools at scale makes it easier to balance growth with risk management and regulatory compliance.
Responsible AI Innovation
As financial institutions accelerate AI adoption, responsible innovation remains a priority. Safeguards embedded in the Experian Ascend Platform ensure models are explainable, auditable, and aligned with regulatory requirements.
Softley noted, "Our clients want platforms that increase efficiency and reduce risk, but they also want to ensure the technology is trusted and explainable. By embedding cloud, fraud prevention, and AI responsibly into our platform, we are giving financial institutions infrastructure they can scale with confidence."
Serving Providers of All Sizes
The technology strategy is designed for financial institutions of every size. Large banks are modernizing credit analytics and managing portfolios at scale. Mid-size firms are using the Experian Ascend Platform to bring products to market faster. Smaller providers are leveraging it to automate manual tasks, strengthen fraud defenses, and improve service without heavy IT investment.
Forrester's findings show these benefits are consistent across segments: efficiency gains, lower costs, and reduced losses are shared outcomes.
A Shift in Identity
By combining data assets with AI-driven analytics, fraud prevention solutions, and scalable cloud platforms, technology platforms are emerging as a central part of enterprise strategy in financial services.
For financial institutions, this evolution translates into practical benefits: faster decisions, stronger fraud defenses, and measurable returns. As the Vision Conference convenes in Miami, the message will be clear: technology platforms are becoming as central to lending as credit data itself, and responsible AI will define the future.
Looking Ahead: AI and the Future
Industry executives expect AI to be embedded across the entire lending lifecycle, from origination to collections, with fraud detection integrated throughout. They argue that the winners will be those who combine explainable AI, precise orchestration and governance of AI agents, robust fraud controls, and scalable cloud infrastructure.
Experian's role will be to provide the platform that makes this vision possible. By blending global data assets with transparent, auditable AI, the company aims to expand access to credit, drive financial inclusion, improve risk management, and strengthen fraud prevention.
If that vision holds, the transformation under way may not only redefine a single company but also mark a broader inflection point for the entire financial services industry.
