AI Agents Could Accelerate Bank Deposit Outflows, Hurt Profitability

The broad adoption of artificial intelligence agents in financial markets could accelerate deposit outflows from banks and erode profitability, a researcher said.

Baek Yeon-joo, a research fellow at the Korea Institute of Finance, made the remarks on Oct. 23 at "2026 Payment Insight," a seminar marking the 40th anniversary of the Korea Financial Telecommunications & Clearings Institute, held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in central Seoul.

"The spread of AI agents could improve efficiency in the financial industry while also creating new risk factors," Baek said.

She said AI agents are likely to evolve beyond simple payment tools into services that compare financial products and even execute transactions on users' behalf. Consumers previously had to search for and choose financial products themselves, but if AI takes over that role, the cost of switching products could effectively disappear.

Baek said that change could burden banks' liquidity management and profitability.

As AI automates financial transactions, customers will be able to move more easily into more favorable products. If even settlement deposits, long regarded as a stable funding source, begin to leave quickly, banks could face difficulties managing liquidity.

She also said that if AI platforms become a new distribution channel for financial products, financial companies could lose bargaining power and see profit margins shrink. As AI lowers barriers to entry in finance, the profitability of incumbent financial firms could also worsen.

Baek said banks need to strengthen their competitiveness in response to the spread of AI agents. Financial companies need to organize their data so AI can use it and build the related systems. They also need to invest and work to maintain connectivity with AI platforms, given the possibility that those platforms emerge as new channels for distributing financial products.