Chief financial officers’ talents are too often lost to mundane, routine tasks that do not add much value to their important positions as their CEOs’ main advisers. Fortunately, technological innovations are removing much of the burden, freeing CFOs to fulfill their roles as prime movers and shakers, guiding their companies to new heights. Cloud technology, enterprise resource planning and artificial intelligence are proving to be time-saviors for today’s busy CFOs.
Banks once were the movers and shakers of the financial world, but in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, mired in new regulations, many have lagged behind rising fintechs in technological innovation. What fintechs have discovered is artificial intelligence’s considerable contribution to meeting customer needs and maximizing operational efficiencies. Now that the regulatory climate has eased, banks are catching up and employing carefully implemented AI to help them achieve their customer-centric goals.
Although rich in mineral resources, Sierra Leone is one of the world’s poorest countries. Nearly 90 percent of the population is isolated and excluded from financial services. Reaching them has become a top priority for one of the country’s most progressive banks, Guaranty Trust Bank (SL), which is demonstrating how effectively cutting-edge financial technology can transform the financial-services landscape for a disadvantaged population.