Whereas, until recently, digitization within the financial intermediary sector was primarily focused on supporting processes, AI is bringing about a shift in how work is actually carried out. Joost Heijligers, Chief Growth Officer at Blinqx Insurance & Mortgage, has written about this before.
This is now becoming a reality for consumers as well: ING announced this week that it is the first major Dutch bank to deploy AI on a large scale in the assessment of mortgage applications. This is a clear sign that AI is no longer just a promise, but a real factor in how the sector operates. And that is also changing how mortgage brokers do their work.
Experiments on the fringes aren’t enough
The financial sector is undergoing a transformation driven by the use of AI. While this saves time, most initiatives do not (yet) affect the service provider’s core processes. These tools are useful aids for sub-processes such as document processing, reporting, and customer communication. They are sometimes presented as breakthroughs, even though in practice they only touch on the periphery of work processes.
Auke Dirkmaat, CEO of Blinqx Insurance & Mortgage: “Until recently, intermediaries could automate 20 to 30 percent of their processes. With AI agents collaborating on core processes, that figure rises to 80 percent. The real impact comes when AI not only provides an answer but also sets the process behind that question in motion: A customer’s inquiry is interpreted, relevant file data is retrieved, advice is prepared, and the next steps are set up. Not isolated automation steps, but a chain that optimizes the entire process.”
The workplace for service providers is changing
And that’s necessary. The influx of young employees is stagnating, job openings remain unfilled, and the volume of work is growing. Those who dare to address this with AI that truly supports core processes will preserve capacity for the work that makes a difference.
For most people, buying a home is the biggest financial decision of their lives. It’s not the same as simply placing an order. Consumers want to know how their choices will affect their monthly payments twenty years from now, what will happen if interest rates rise or circumstances change, and what the risks are. That’s when an advisor who has the time to discuss these matters makes a real difference. And that also applies to major claims and the impact they have on consumers. AI can free up that time by taking over tasks in core processes.
Jeroen van Eijk, CPO of Blinqx, has a clear vision of how the workplace for service providers will change: “In 2027, a financial advisor will open a digital workspace in the morning that already knows what needs to be done that day. Not an inbox full of scattered tasks, but a canvas that builds around the cases requiring attention. Agents have already retrieved documents, calculated scenarios, compared premiums, assessed claims, and checked compliance. The advisor picks up where the conversation left off, makes the final decision, and talks to the system just as you would talk to a colleague. Every interaction makes the work environment smarter. The longer you work with it, the better it understands what you need.”
This means: A workspace where agents and advisors collaborate in shared workflows, where ongoing cases remain active in the background, and where decisions and lessons learned are tracked in a timeline linked to the case. Compliance is not a separate step, but is built into every process. The advisor no longer has to think about it. A quick check is all that’s needed.
The job market won’t wait. Neither will consumers.
For regulated sectors such as financial intermediation, the debate and caution surrounding the use of AI are understandable, and as a service provider, you need to do your homework in this area. However, this should not be a reason to shy away from innovation.
Ruud van der Kruk, CEO of Blinqx: “I see what companies like ING are bringing to the market as a wake-up call for the entire sector. Financial intermediaries in the Netherlands have traditionally been conservative. Companies wait for each other, for the regulator, for proof that it works. But in the meantime, Germany and the UK have been leading the way for years. The risk aversion that characterizes the sector has slowed down innovation. That also comes at a cost. The labor market won’t wait—you can see that from the labor shortage in the sector. And consumers’ expectations have changed as well; you have to be able to meet them.”
For intermediaries, using these types of tools is therefore no longer a strategic choice. It is becoming a requirement. Firms that have their data in order, have structured processes in place, and work with a platform that understands the industry from the inside are now building a competitive edge. Firms that wait and see will find that the gap in returns is widening.
How does this affect the intermediary?
Blinqx Insurance & Mortgage has long offered AI solutions that significantly automate the work of financial advisors, including KYC Agent, Claims Agent, and Quinn Mail. All of these solutions operate within the eBlinqx platform, built on the sector-specific data and regulations of the mortgage and insurance markets. The advisor remains in control. Decision-making and client interactions remain in human hands. That is also what the regulator expects—and what the customer deserves.
In the meantime, work is underway on that next step: a digital workspace where agents collaborate, handle processes end-to-end, and take the pressure off advisors in a way that transforms the entire way of working. In this context, waiting to see what happens is not an option.
