Milan, 06/10/2025 – Artificial Intelligence is not only a factor of efficiency but also a concrete lever for growth. For Italian financial-advisor networks (Fideuram ISPB, Banca Mediolanum, Fineco Bank, Banca Generali, Allianz Bank, Azimut, Zurich Bank, Credem, Mediobanca Premier, Widiba, etc.) it could generate up to €100 billion in additional net inflows over the next five years. This is what emerges from research by Excellence Consulting, based on Assoreti data (2019–2024 average) and on a proprietary survey conducted on a panel of about 200 financial advisors authorized to offer services off-premises.

The result fits into a broader trend: according to the ABI Lab report of March 2025, AI is already the leading area of technology investment for Italian banks, ahead of operational resilience and cybersecurity. Moreover, the Bank of Italy, in a July 2025 address based on its FinTech Survey for 2023–24, noted that AI investments by supervised intermediaries have quadrupled, rising from less than 0.5% to almost 1.5% of operating costs.

To reach this outcome, the Excellence Group’s research calculates two distinct effects. Looking at the impact on the time freed up for the FA, advisors estimate that AI reduces by an average of 24% the hours devoted to operational tasks (–31% work planning/organization and back-office management, –26% document analysis and compliance management, –19% information search). Excellence hypothesizes that this time recovered thanks to AI is redirected by FAs to client-relationship management (+18%). Based on the survey responses, a potential acquisition of about 8 new clients per year for each FA was consequently estimated: over a five-year horizon, this amounts to around 40 new clients per advisor.

Turning instead to the development of clients already in the portfolio—the second effect—the survey showed that only a minority of FAs (15%) do not expect significant impacts, while the majority report a potentially material impact: 39% foresee an annual increase in inflows between +16% and +30%, and a further 25% estimate an impact above 30%. On average, this means that each advisor expects an increase in inflows on the portfolio already under management on the order of nearly 30%.

At a system level, assuming that the networks are able to evolve their client service model through full utilization of the potential provided by AI, the estimate of the combined effect of the two drivers cited above leads to an expectation—over and above what FAs are already able to produce today—of around €100 billion in incremental inflows in 5 years.

“This research shows that Artificial Intelligence is not only a factor of efficiency, but can also represent for FA networks a significant driver of growth,” says Maurizio Primanni, CEO of the Excellence Group. “When it frees up advisors’ time, that time becomes available both to increase the level of service offered to already-managed clients and to acquire new client relationships. I believe all the main players in the Italian market have already taken steps to make new AI-based tools available to FAs, but what will make the difference will also be the willingness of FAs to evolve their way of working by using these new tools effectively. There is still much to do—for the networks and for the entire sector—but it is beyond doubt that investing in AI means building today the foundations of the sector’s competitiveness tomorrow.”