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More than 30,000 professionals make up the ecosystem of Cetif: we facilitate the meeting and exchange between banks, insurers and companies in an academic Center, competent and independent environment to share knowledge, experience and strategies on the most innovative drivers of change.
16 Research Hubs focused on dynamics of strategic evolution, regulatory updates, organizational and process practices, and the effects of digitization: we study innovation trends and best practices and share them with our communities.
Over 60 events including Main events (Workshop and Summit) and Community events (related to research activities) and Webinar: we bring together banks, insurance companies and businesses for shared growth on trends and challenges to outline innovative development strategies.
More than 40 Executive Education tracks, 4 Master's programs and numerous Company Specific Programs: we transfer innovative financial-oriented content with a scientific approach.
An experimental spin off combining academic research and entrepreneurial approach: we turn innovation and digitization into a concrete business advantage.
The transformation of the credit sector is no longer limited to the digitization of procedures; it affects the entire operational model of banks.
There are five key areas of change: process integration, data utilization, dynamic risk management, decision-making quality, and the evolving regulatory environment.
Significant findings have emerged from research conducted by the Cetif within its Hubs: the introduction of AI into digital lending processes is accompanied by a 25% reduction in time-to-yes and a 33% reduction in time-to-cash between the first quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. Digital lending also accounted for 24% of total credit in 2025, with that share expected to reach around 40% by 2030. But the real evolution lies in moving beyond separate product-based architectures toward an integrated digital process in which data, decision engines, and common rules enable greater flexibility and efficiency.
Data Becomes the New Driver of Credit
One of the most significant challenges concerns the availability and quality of information.
According to preliminary findings from the “ Cetif : Digital Lending Hub 2026,” 47% of the data used in onboarding and KYC processes is still entered directly by the customer, while only 8% comes from open banking and open finance.
The potential for innovation is therefore still considerable: authorized access to certified sources could reduce the need for traditional documentation, speed up due diligence, and improve the reliability of assessments.
However, this transformation requires new skills and a governance framework capable of integrating technology, risk management, and control.
Bank of Italy: Innovating While Preserving Credit Quality
In a recent presentation at the “ Workshop ”Cetif on credit management, Dr. Giuseppe Siani, Head of the Banking and Financial Supervision Department at the Bank of Italy, discussed these changes in the context of banking system stability and the responsibilities of financial intermediaries.
The Italian credit landscape remains solid overall. According to data from the Bank of Italy, as of July 2026, loans to the non-financial private sector were up 3.3% year-over-year, while asset quality remained at historically high levels.
Technological innovation can help consolidate these results by improving analytical capabilities and the early detection of risk signals.
Artificial intelligence does, in fact, offer significant opportunities in creditworthiness assessment and exposure monitoring. In SME lending, however, direct knowledge of the businesses and their characteristics remains an essential factor.
According to Siani, the challenge is therefore not to replace professional judgment, but to strengthen it through more advanced tools.
Artificial Intelligence: Human Oversight Remains Central
Siani’s point regarding the need for effective human oversight—specifically, processes in which the individual is “on the loop” and not merely “in the loop”—is particularly noteworthy.
The use of AI—especially in its more autonomous applications—makes it essential to ensure decision traceability, data reliability, appropriate expertise, and clearly assigned responsibilities.
It is not enough to simply provide for human intervention in principle; those in charge of oversight must have the information and skills necessary to understand and evaluate the decisions made by the algorithms.
This principle takes on even greater importance with the riseof agent-based AI, which is capable of autonomously planning and executing tasks and processes.
At the same time, there is a growing focus on digital resilience. Analysis by the Bank of Italy shows that cyber incidents involving Italian financial intermediaries during the 2023–2025 period increasedby 80% compared to the previous three-year period. About half of the reports directly or indirectly involve technology providers.
The future of credit is built by integrating innovation and governance
DORA and the AI Act outline a framework in which innovation, operational resilience, and consumer protection must go hand in hand.
The future of credit will depend not only on the ability to adopt new technologies, but also on the quality of the decisions that these technologies will make possible.
For banks, this means rethinking processes, organization, and skills, shifting from automation focused on loan disbursement to intelligent management of the entire loan lifecycle.