How UBS Deploys Microsoft AI Platform in Global Operations
Swiss universal bank and wealth management firm UBS has deployed an AI platform built on Microsoft Azure to transform how its client advisers access and utilise internal knowledge.
The bank selected Microsoft Azure after determining that packaged solutions wouldn't meet its requirements for data security and customisation. This decision was influenced by Microsoft's investment in Swiss data centres and enhanced security protocols.
Lukasz Opoka, Head of Analytics and Sales Platform of Wealth Management and Personal & Corporate Banking at UBS, says: “The collaboration between UBS and Microsoft was driven by our need for flexibility and a robust technological roadmap.
“Standard out-of-the-box solutions would not work for us.”
Enterprise implementation
“The collaboration between UBS and Microsoft was driven by our need for flexibility and a robust technological roadmap"
Working with Microsoft's Industry Solutions Engineering team, UBS developed two domain-specific AI assistants, collectively known as UBS Red.
The implementation spanned ten months, during which Azure OpenAI Service was integrated across multiple divisions.
The bank's approach to AI deployment focused on ensuring predictable performance while handling increasing volumes of queries.
The system, built using Azure AI Search and Azure OpenAI Service, provides multi-language capabilities for client advisers accessing the bank's knowledge base.
Claire Corish, Head of Analytics and Sales Platforms of the Operations and Technology Office at UBS, says the bank has so far digitised 60,000 investment advice and product documents into a queryable knowledge base.
This transformation aims to reduce time spent on meeting preparation and research.
The system uses Azure AI Search for advanced retrieval strategies, enabling users to find information based on conceptual similarity rather than exact keyword matches.
Microsoft's provisioned throughput units ensure consistent performance by reserving computational capacity for processing AI requests.
Michel Neuhaus, Head of AI, Data & Analytics of Personal & Corporate Banking at UBS, says: "The internal information that we have, the financial expertise, the insights into financial markets, what's happening in the world, it's vast. We have to find ways to make this content easily accessible to each and everyone in the bank, and Microsoft helps us with that."
Global scale and impact
“While delivering flagship AI solutions like Red is crucial, it's equally important to build a scalable organisation that can accelerate the delivery of AI use cases"
The deployment has reached 30,000 employees across key divisions including Personal & Corporate Banking, Wealth Management Switzerland, Global Wealth Management and Group Operations and Technology Office. The system operates in booking centres across Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
The bank's AI transformation extends beyond UBS Red to include a comprehensive modernisation of its data platform.
This infrastructure enables UBS to deliver AI-driven insights to risk professionals while addressing the complex regulatory requirements of the financial industry.
The bank has established a framework for reliable data delivery at enterprise scale, supported by Azure's management and operational features.
Jonas Isliker, Head of AI, Data & Analytics of Global Wealth Management at UBS, adds: “While delivering flagship AI solutions like Red is crucial, it's equally important to build a scalable organisation that can accelerate the delivery of AI use cases.
“This involves implementing a data mesh, moving to the Azure cloud, establishing new AI risk governance, and creating AI factories for quicker, more agile solution delivery.”
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