The Taiwan Banker

Generative AI is rapidly moving into enterprise applications. Data analytics, process automation and intelligent tools are transforming how financial services operate, while increasingly complex customer needs drive financial services beyond individual products towards cross-market, cross-industry and ecosystem collaboration. Banks must reshape the capabilities of their workforce as the industry rapidly evolves. Finance has always been a talent-intensive industry, but advances in AI, digital finance, and risk management are fundamentally changing the skills required by professionals. The challenge is no longer simply to recruit or retain talent, but to develop people with future-ready capabilities. External recruitment alone cannot meet institutions’ demand for new capabilities in a fast-changing market. Instead, organizations should build continuous talent-development systems that enable employees to learn, grow and transform themselves. These should include internal mobility, cross-functional assignments, project participation, international exposure, and learning by doing, embedding personal growth closely into everyday work. This shift from competing for talent to creating it reflects a broader reassessment. Future capabilities will depend not only on deep expertise in a single field, but also on the ability to integrate knowledge across different settings, understand customers, apply technology and collaborate across teams. DBS Taiwan views talent development in the AI era as more than just teaching employees to use new tools. Its transformation learning programs develop capabilities across three dimensions: Work on Self, Work with People and Work with Machines. These programs strengthen employees’ ability to learn independently and adapt to change, collaborate across teams, influence others, and use AI and digital tools to improve productivity and decision-making. Leadership development is equally important. Managers are trained to lead teams in which people and machines work together, rethink the allocation of tasks and redesign collaborative practices. The objective is not only to improve productivity, accuracy and service quality, but also to support organizational transformation and sustainable growth. The impact of AI extends far beyond deploying new tools or improving process efficiency, however: at a deeper level, it is redefining the relationship between people and technology. The ability of AI tools to organize data, retrieve information, compile content, and conduct preliminary analysis does not diminish the value of employees; rather, it shifts where that value lies. As technology takes over repetitive, time-consuming tasks, people must contribute more through judgement, insight, communication, trust-building, and complex problem-solving. This distinction is particularly important in financial services, where trust is fundamental and decisions often involve risk assessment, regulatory interpretation, and customer relationships. AI can improve efficiency, but it cannot replace the judgement, ethical reasoning or human engagement of financial professionals. DBS Taiwan has continued to empower employees with AI, helping them work more efficiently and devote more time to customer engagement, innovation and strategic activities. Its Learning Hub and future-skills programs help employees develop capabilities in digital finance, AI applications, data analytics, critical thinking, and empathy. Future practitioners will be distinguished not simply by their ability to use AI, but also to build trust and deliver a more human customer experience, supported by technology. Talent strategies in the AI era must therefore go beyond teaching employees how to operate new tools to help them redefine their value, translating technological skills into service quality. As financial services evolve, careers can no longer be expected to follow a fixed, vertical path within a single function. Future professionals need exposure to different business settings, together with the ability to collaborate across departments and integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines. Internal mobility is becoming an important talent development tool. Cross-functional assignments, short-term job shadowing, project participation, and career exploration allow employees to connect the dots, developing more comprehensive capabilities. Institutions can also make better use of internal talent, enabling employees to expand their skills beyond the boundaries of their current positions as needs change. DBS Taiwan has long encouraged employees to explore opportunities across functions and business areas. Its integrated development platform gives employees access to initiatives such as Be My Guest, Xplore, cross-department job-shadowing, and project collaboration. Beyond just job rotation, these mechanisms help employees develop a more complete understanding of financial services. An understanding how different departments work together to create customer value better equips employees to address multidisciplinary issues and complex challenges. Competition in financial services has long extended beyond individual markets. Whether serving corporate clients with cross-border operations, responding to increasingly international wealth-management needs, or keeping pace with fintech and sustainable finance, financial professionals need a global perspective and cross-cultural collaboration skills. For Asian banks, regional platforms and cross-market talent exchanges will become increasingly important. Development can no longer be confined to experience within a single market. Employees need opportunities to understand different customer needs, regulatory environments, business models, and workplace cultures, thereby developing more mature judgement and a broader international outlook. For organizations, cross-market exchanges are not merely overseas assignments or opportunities to share experience, but also facilitate the movement of knowledge, perspectives and innovative capabilities. Employee collaboration between markets helps institutions develop a more international mindset, using regional experience as a foundation for local innovation. Systems can create opportunities, but culture determines whether employees are willing to keep growing. Institutions that promote internal mobility, multidisciplinary learning and AI adoption must also establish a management culture in which employees feel safe, supported and free to experiment. Talent development is no longer simply an HR matter of designing courses and policies; it requires active participation by managers and the wider organization. Managers’ support for employees in exploring different career paths, timely feedback, and incorporation of development into daily management determine whether talent initiatives deliver meaningful results. DBS Taiwan sees managers as key drivers of employee development, embedding development into everyday management through mechanisms such as Anytime Feedback and the Performance & Development Plan to create a psychologically safe working environment. It also integrates its PRIDE! values into talent development and performance management, making culture an important force for growth. An effective talent strategy is not a collection of isolated initiatives. It is the combined result of formal systems, managerial behavior, and organizational culture. Only when employees continually receive opportunities to learn, obtain feedback and advance through their work does talent development become part of daily operations. DBS’s philosophy is “We protect people, not jobs.” This means building a future-ready workforce in which every employee can continue learning, growing and realizing their potential amid constant change. The objective is not merely to retain employees, but to empower them to continue developing and creating value through disruption. As AI reshapes financial services, institutions must help employees use technology to drive growth (Keep Us Growing) while applying professional judgement, empathy and risk awareness to preserve trust (Keep Us Safe). Through internal mobility, AI enablement, future-skills development, cross-market opportunities, and a culture that supports growth, financial institutions can do more than retain talent. They can continually nurture staff who are prepared for future challenges, able to use technology to build trust and deliver a more human customer experience. This is not merely a human-resources issue. It is an imperative for sustainable industry-wide growth. The author is Head of Human Resources at DBS Bank (Taiwan) Ltd.