Leading GenAI Transformation in Banking

Vinicius Aloe is Chief Technology Officer at Agibank, where he leads the integration of technology, risk management and innovation to deliver relationship-driven financial services. With over two decades in financial services and leadership roles across fintech and private banking, he focuses on using technology to create long-term value and improve lives in Brazil’s underserved communities.

A Journey Built on Intersections

I did not come from a technical background in the traditional sense. I was not a developer or an architect, but I have always been deeply involved with technology, both personally and professionally. It has been a constant thread in how I lead, how I think, and how I operate. I have built my professional journey learning and developing a lot at the intersection of scientific mindset, business, risk management, technology, people and execution. That is exactly what led me here.

I have spent over 20 years in financial services, held the CEO role in a fintech, was part of the HR executive committee of one of Brazil’s top private banks and built strategies across credit, pricing, tech and risk management. Agibank is not just another chapter. It is a privilege and one I am proud of being part of. This is a company with a real mission: to improve people’s lives every day through relationship-driven financial services that are excellent, accessible and focused on long-term value, especially for the real Brazil, the majority population that rarely sees that kind of service excellence in the market.

GenAI in Engineering and Risk Management

We are only scratching the surface, especially if you look at what is coming in the next few years. But even now, the impact is already real and concrete.

On the tech side, GenAI helps us increase productivity, standardize quality, strengthen security and elevate code reviews at scale. It shortens the learning curve for new developers and enhances internal risk controls by embedding intelligence throughout the engineering process.

On the business side, the value is often invisible to the end customer, and that is the point. We are using GenAI to understand, for example, why someone is calling our contact center faster and more accurately. Or to detect a fraud pattern in documents that used to go unnoticed. These are not just experiments. They are live features improving real lives.

Although decision-making in many levels is deeply human and inherently complex, the transformation is radical when we put human intelligence to work alongside artificial intelligence, both analytical and generative.

  ​It’s not about what GenAI can do, it’s about how the experience feels for the customer 

With well-structured agents and carefully crafted prompt engineering, we can now process massive and diverse datasets, structured and unstructured, with a degree of focus and speed that was unthinkable a few years ago. Contracts, voice recordings, logs and behavioral patterns all feed into a more nuanced and responsive risk engine.

We have redefined how we discover and validate new variables. The time to value has shrunk dramatically, and anomaly detection is no longer a game of thresholds. It is a contextual understanding, enriched by GenAI’s ability to interpret patterns across dimensions we could not tap into before.

Cultural Shifts and Cross-Disciplinary Mindsets

Adaptability, and the ability to bridge disciplines that were not used to talk to each other.

Suddenly, the engineer needs to understand legal context. The HR analyst needs to design effective prompts. The product owner must navigate soft skills and AI logic simultaneously. GenAI demands this kind of cross-disciplinary mindset, and it rewards those who can go deep in the details without losing the big picture.

People who can connect technology with business, law and customer experience, and still operate with clarity of purpose, are now at the center of transformation. This is not about knowing it all. It is about knowing how to connect what matters.

Enhancing Customer Experience without Adding Noise

That is the trap, mistaking tech for strategy. GenAI is powerful, but it is still just a means to an end.

We have a disciplined operating model that keeps us grounded. Every initiative must be tied to real value for the customer and the business. If it does not simplify something, if it does not improve a journey or solve a real pain, it does not move forward.

We fight daily against distractions, bureaucracy and technological vanity. That same principle guides our GenAI adoption. It is only valuable if it enhances clarity, not confusion. It is not about what GenAI can do, it is about how the experience feels for the customer.

Advice for CTOs in Regulated Environments

Do not pay to see. This wave is not optional, it is inevitable. But the key is doing it right. That means going deep: deep into your own understanding, deep into your team’s capabilities and deep into governance.

Build strong foundations with clear policies, trusted guardrails and measurable risk indicators. Appoint champions who love the subject and can drive cultural change. Most importantly, separate noise from substance. Test, learn and adjust fast.

GenAI can be hype-heavy. Our role is to protect focus and control while still moving fast. Regulation and innovation are not enemies. They are constraints that, when respected, make the solution better.