At a Glance
ING deployed generative AI at enterprise scale in less than 12 months.
Focused on 5 key use cases to accelerate deployment while managing risk.
Success hinged on strategic clarity, empowered teams, and streamlined governance.
Why Generative AI Became a Strategic Imperative for ING
In today’s financial landscape, speed to innovation is a competitive advantage. For ING, adopting generative AI (GenAI) wasn’t a matter of technological curiosity; it was a calculated response to industry wide pressures:
Disruptive competition
from agile fintech entrants.
Legacy tech limitations
that create drag on modernization.
Complex regulatory demands
requiring adaptive solutions.
According to Marnix van Stiphout, Chief Operations and Transformation Officer at ING, GenAI presented an opportunity to address all three pain points simultaneously with creativity and scale.
Focused Execution: ING’s Five Strategic AI Domains
Rather than experimenting broadly, ING’s board prioritized five domains where GenAI could immediately generate business value:
1. Hyper-personalized Marketing:
Enhancing customer engagement and retention.
2. AI-Powered Chatbots:
Improving customer service and straight-through processing.
3. KYC & Compliance Automation:
Accelerating onboarding, enhancing due diligence, and minimizing fraud risk.
4. AI-Augmented Software Engineering:
Modernizing legacy code and boosting developer productivity.
5. Wholesale Client Support:
Using AI to summarize ESG metrics and assist in sustainability-focused lending.
Their decision to start with lower-risk, high-impact use cases allowed for rapid iteration and visible wins without jeopardizing operations.
The Five Factors That Enabled ING’s AI Deployment Speed
Success didn’t happen by chance. ING built a disciplined, scalable AI operating model around five core principles:
Laser Focus on Use Cases
The team maintained strict adherence to the original five domains resisting the temptation to chase every new GenAI capability.
Freeing Up the Right People
Leadership cleared non-essential tasks for critical AI teams, enabling deep work and fast iteration cycles.
Integrated Tech & Business Roadmaps
Cross-functional collaboration between tech and business ensured clear KPIs, solution ownership, and delivery timelines.
External Acceleration Partners
ING tapped McKinsey and cloud hyperscalers for expert build, deployment, and infrastructure access enabling faster proof of concept and executive buy-in.
Fast-Track Risk Governance
Rather than adapting old frameworks, ING built a new “AI risk highway” process, led by senior leaders for rapid assessment without compromising integrity.
Accelerating AI from the Top
Strong executive sponsorship was pivotal. ING’s board didn’t just approve funding it remained actively involved, providing guidance across all AI domains. Senior leaders were present during delivery, removing bottlenecks and empowering teams to take bold steps.
This top-down engagement created a culture of psychological safety, where teams could raise issues early and innovate confidently.
Early Results and What’s Next
GenAI is already integrated into ING’s operations, with results including:
Enhanced chatbot performance and customer support.
Reduced documentation load during onboarding.
Personalized customer outreach and churn prediction.
But this is just the beginning. ING sees GenAI evolving from task augmentation to process automation, with “agentic AI” making autonomous decisions in complex workflows.
The shift will demand:
Careful risk calibration,
Increased organizational comfort with AI,
And even deeper integration across digital infrastructure.
A Scalable Playbook for Generative AI Deployment
ING’s journey demonstrates that scaling GenAI in less than a year is not only possible, it’s replicable.
A clear focus on ROI-driven use cases
Empowered, cross-functional teams
Transparent risk management
executive level engagement
Fast-Track Risk Governance
At Elev8ive, we help organizations replicate these principles tailoring AI strategies that are fast, secure, and aligned with business goals.
