AI, data reshape the commercial credit lifecycle

Banks are moving from isolated lending systems to integrated, end-to-end platforms that combine artificial intelligence, streaming analytics and API connectivity to accelerate underwriting, improve portfolio visibility and unify loan servicing across the commercial credit lifecycle.

A Chartis Credit Lending Operations 2026 report finds growing emphasis on unified lending operations instead of disconnected point solutions. An online webinar hosted in association with FIS will examine those trends. The panel includes Anish Shah, research director at Chartis Research; Dale Glajchen, head of commercial loan servicing and syndication at FIS; and Tim Probst, global head of commercial loan servicing, enterprise and client strategy at FIS. Sharon Kimathi will moderate the session.

In practical terms, banks are connecting transaction and customer data across business units, exposing capabilities through APIs for internal teams and partners, and applying AI models with streaming analytics to support faster decisions. Use cases cited by lenders include automated document extraction, workflow orchestration, credit-scoring models that incorporate account behaviour and third-party data, and dashboards for continuous portfolio monitoring.

Institutions are prioritizing modernization approaches that augment existing systems rather than replace them. Common technical steps include adding API layers on legacy platforms, creating data integration hubs to produce a single customer and exposure view, and deploying modular AI components that can be updated independently. Governance structures and defined data stewardship roles are being put in place to manage information flows and partner integrations.

Operational and technical challenges reported by banks include ensuring data quality and governance to limit model drift and compliance risk; creating secure, standardised API connections for external partners; and training staff and adapting processes so automation handles routine tasks while teams manage exceptions and complex restructurings.

The webinar panel will address how real-time analytics and API-enabled ecosystems influence decision-making and how lenders can roll out modernization in phases while keeping operations resilient. The Chartis report records a shift in industry focus from fragmented processes to integrated lending operations where intelligence, automation and connectivity are combined across the credit lifecycle.