The recent AI Summit unfolded amid growing global interest and strategic competition around artificial intelligence. With new players like Deepseek gaining attention for energy-efficient, high-performance models, the pace of innovation remains unrelenting. But what does this mean for Europe’s banking sector?
Europe’s Ambitions for AI Leadership
The European Union has launched the Invest AI initiative, a landmark €200 billion plan to position the region as a global AI leader. Major investments, including €20 billion allocated to giga-scale AI infrastructure, reflect this ambition. French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized a critical mindset shift: “Before regulating, we first need to invent solutions and technologies.”
With 35 new data centers and efforts to train up to 100,000 AI researchers by 2030, Europe is laying the foundation to compete with leading global ecosystems. However, translating this ambition into real transformation—especially in regulated sectors like banking—requires both strategic implementation and trusted partners.
Addressing the Banking Sector’s Talent and Technology Gaps
Despite growing awareness of AI’s potential, adoption in banking remains uneven. For example, only 0.83% of employees in French banks work in AI or data roles, compared to 1.34% in North America. This talent shortage, combined with data security concerns and a lack of mature infrastructure, has slowed implementation.
As highlighted in our recent Sopra Steria report “From 2024: Year of Exploration to 2025: Year of Tangible Results,” scaling AI is no longer optional—it’s imperative. Banks need trusted European platforms, secure data ecosystems, and actionable strategies to operationalize AI responsibly.
How Sopra Steria is Helping Banks Industrialize AI
At Sopra Steria, we support European banks through a holistic, end-to-end approach:
- AI Factories & Industrialization: We help banks design and scale AI organizations by identifying high-value use cases, setting up operational governance, and industrializing solutions.
- Sovereign AI Solutions: Our collaboration with Mistral, a European AI leader, delivers tailored generative AI tools built with data privacy, regulatory compliance, and industry specificity in mind.
- Ethical and Sustainable AI: As a contributor to the Confiance.AI program, Sopra Steria champions responsible AI development—focusing on ethics, explainability, and energy efficiency.
Europe’s Moment to Lead
The AI Summit signals a pivotal opportunity for Europe to assert global leadership in AI—and banking is at the heart of this evolution. With deep industry expertise, sovereign AI capabilities, and a strong commitment to responsible innovation, Sopra Steria is ready to help the financial sector move from strategy to execution.