AI Recommendations Now Drive Majority of Wealth Management Sales at KB Kookmin Bank
Artificial intelligence recommendations have overtaken human bankers in new product subscriptions at KB Kookmin Bank's wealth management service for the first time. AI-driven suggestions accounted for 55% of new subscriptions last year, compared with 45% from private bankers.
The shift marks a sharp reversal from 2024, when AI recommendations represented just 36% of subscriptions while private bankers drove 64%. KB attributes the change to growing adoption of its K-Bot Saem service amid broader interest in generative AI tools.
What K-Bot Saem Does
K-Bot Saem launched in 2018 as KB's retail wealth management platform, available through bank branches and online. The service combines AI-generated recommendations with human expertise across five categories: two AI-driven options (Robo Saem and AI Portfolio) and three banker-curated offerings (Customized, Thematic, and Goal-Achievement).
Since launch, the service has generated 170,000 subscription cases totaling approximately 600 billion won ($440 million).
What This Means for Sales Teams
The data shows customers increasingly accept AI recommendations for financial products without banker intervention. For sales professionals, this signals a shift in how wealth management operates-not as a replacement for human judgment, but as a channel that serves different customer preferences.
A KB Financial Group official said the results demonstrate "the viability of selling financial products and charging fees through AI." The bank's experience suggests AI can handle routine product matching at scale while freeing bankers to focus on complex client relationships.
For teams managing financial product sales, the question shifts from whether AI can sell to how to integrate AI recommendations with existing sales processes. Learn more about AI for Sales and AI for Finance applications in your role.
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