Fenergo survey: Over 25% of financial services firms forecast $4M+ in annual compliance savings through agentic AI
The study reveals that 6% of financial institutions have implemented agentic AI and 93% plan to in the next two years
July 24, 2025 –NEW YORK – The majority of global financial institutions are actively implementing agentic AI in order to improve their compliance operations, according to new research from Fenergo, the leading provider of digital solutions for know your customer (KYC), anti-money laundering (AML) and client lifecycle management (CLM).
Fenergo’s study conducted in collaboration with Chartis Research, which surveyed 90 risk, compliance and technology professionals across asset managers and corporate, investment, and commercial banks in 2025 across the US and the UK, revealed that 93% of financial institutions plan to adopt Agentic AI in the next two years. The findings reveal that adoption is driven by a need to improve the effectiveness and cost efficiency of compliance operations.
The research highlights that firms are deploying agentic AI to focus on high-value, high-risk use cases and deliver immediate impact, with over a third of firms (36%) listing fraud detection as their top reason for adoption. This is closely followed by KYC maintenance (19%) and transaction monitoring (16%). These findings come at a time when 56% of US banks are losing clients due to manual KYC processes and inefficient investor onboarding.
The survey revealed that US-based firms are grappling with significant challenges in their AML and KYC processes, including managing heavy manual workloads (89%), addressing high volumes of transaction monitoring false positives (76%), and adapting to evolving regulatory requirements (42%).
Fenergo’s analysis also reveals that beyond operational gains, firms are anticipating large cost savings by implementing agentic AI, with 26% of respondents anticipating annual savings of more than $4 million. Savings can be made from reduced manual workload, faster decision-making cycles and fewer compliance breaches.
Data privacy (44%) and regulations (36%) topped the list of concerns US financial institutions have when considering agentic AI implementation. In addition, the report uncovers that nearly three quarters (71%) of firms list scalability as the most important factor when evaluating new technologies, suggesting a desire for agentic AI to be deployed more widely across the business.
Tracy Moore, Director of Regulatory Affairs, said: “Financial institutions are under immense pressure to strengthen their KYC, and AML processes while keeping pace with evolving regulations. Agentic AI is a powerful ally that helps compliance teams automate routine tasks, reduce manual workloads, and gain real-time insights. This enables them to focus on higher-value activities that drive growth. Our survey shows that the potential expected cost savings, estimated at up to four million dollars, are a major catalyst for this rapid adoption.
Yet concerns around data privacy and regulations have the potential to stall adoption. By selecting software solutions with built-in governance and control frameworks, financial institutions can reap the benefits of agentic-AI while meeting global regulatory obligations.”
Fenergo’s report, Agentic AI in Compliance: From Concept to Operational Reality, provides in-depth analysis into how financial institutions are adopting agentic AI. To read more, download the full report here.
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About Fenergo:
Fenergo is a global leader in AI-powered solutions for client lifecycle management (CLM), specializing in know your customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance transformation for financial institutions. By leveraging agentic AI and automation to bolster CLM, Fenergo empowers organizations to streamline operations, reduce costs, automate compliance processes and enhance client experience across over 120 jurisdictions. Its FinCrime Operating System, powered by Agentic AI, enables firms to supercharge efficiency gains, while maintaining governance and control in line with global AI regulations. For more information about Fenergo’s market-leading AI-powered KYC/AML solutions, visit www.fenergo.com.
