FREEPIK

Philippine financial institutions are being urged to fully transition their business operations into digital processes to maximize the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI), according to global software company Kissflow.

“Every organization now has to become 100% digital in the next three to five years to fully leverage AI in terms of data crunching,” said Rakesh Nandakumar, associate vice president for Asia Pacific at Kissflow, in an interview.

“Hence, the push for data modernization or operations modernization is real. If you don’t, you lose the competitive edge,” he added.

Mr. Nandakumar identified a critical gap in the digital landscape of traditional Filipino banks, which he described as the “messy middle.”

While these institutions have prioritized automating front-end customer interactions and back-end financial systems, the wide range of business operations between these two poles often remains manual.

This middle layer frequently relies on rudimentary systems such as Excel spreadsheets, paper documents, and email chains.

Because these disparate systems do not communicate with one another, they fail to provide the structured digital data that AI requires for high-level analysis and insight generation, he said.

Mr. Nandakumar noted that AI needs this digital foundation to perform complex data analysis and generate insights that human analysts previously could not achieve.

To help organizations transition, Kissflow provides a platform that digitizes these manual operations into trackable processes.

Mr. Nandakumar defined the company’s role as providing a necessary layer beyond static records.

He noted that modern organizations require more than just a system of record. “What they need today is not a system of record alone, but a system of orchestration as well. And that system of orchestration is what Kissflow provides,” he said.

The company helps organizations modernize through a three-pronged approach. This includes equipping Information Technology (IT) departments with low-code capabilities to consolidate applications into a single platform and building satellite applications for niche areas that core systems do not cover.

Lastly, the approach empowers business units to automate their own workflows through citizen development. This allows non-technical staff to build the tools they need when central IT resources are stretched thin.

Kissflow functions as an AI-powered low-code platform designed to orchestrate complex business interactions.

“If you have an Excel sheet, you upload it into Kissflow, and it will transform it into a process in 30 seconds. Any interaction with that process will be tracked and stored in Kissflow,” Mr. Nandakumar said.

This efficiency ensures that all operational data is captured for compliance and deeper AI-driven analysis.
The platform specifically targets large enterprises, where scale and operational complexity necessitate digital modernization to remain competitive.

On cybersecurity concerns, Mr. Nandakumar said governance is essential to managing risks, noting that without it, organizations will remain vulnerable.

He added that Kissflow addresses these concerns by providing a unified platform where security coverage and maintenance for thousands of applications are handled at the platform level.

Mr. Nandakumar also said the company meets high international regulatory standards and is compliant with System and Organization Controls (SOC) 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3, among others.

Moving forward, Kissflow intends to build on its long-standing presence in the Philippines, where it has operated since 2012.

Mr. Nandakumar said the company has been doubling its operations annually and already maintains a home base with a local team. — Edg Adrian A. Eva

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