FIS Teams Up with Anthropic to Create AI for Fighting Financial Crimes

Introduction#

FIS, a major player in the fintech industry, has announced a partnership with Anthropic to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) agent focused on anti-money laundering (AML) investigations. This initiative aims to enhance the efficiency of detecting financial crimes, a pressing issue in the global financial system.

The AI Agent's Functionality#

The new Financial Crimes AI Agent is designed to significantly reduce the time needed for AML investigations, cutting down the process from hours to mere minutes. It will automatically gather evidence from a bank's core systems and analyze activities against established patterns of suspicious behavior. The agent is being developed in collaboration with BMO and Amalgamated Bank, with plans for general availability in the second half of 2026.

Collaboration and Technology#

FIS is working closely with Anthropic’s Applied AI team to co-design this agent, which will utilize Claude AI models to enhance its reasoning capabilities. Importantly, the system will operate within FIS's infrastructure, ensuring that client data remains secure on FIS servers. Stephanie Ferris, CEO of FIS, emphasized the need for AI that takes action rather than just assists.

Financial Context#

The need for such technology is underscored by the United Nations' estimate that $2 trillion in illicit funds flow through the global financial system each year. U.S. financial institutions spend between $35 and $40 billion annually on AML operations. FIS aims to evaluate the AI agent based on its ability to reduce costs per case, minimize manual work, and decrease the time required for case reviews, while still allowing investigators to make final decisions.

Future Plans#

Looking ahead, FIS plans to expand the capabilities of the AI agent to include areas such as credit decision-making, customer onboarding, and fraud prevention. With a significant role in processing transactions for financial institutions that represent nearly 12% of the global economy, FIS continues to be a key player in the fintech sector.