AI integration is no longer optional: Why brokers must start testing and training today

B&C spoke to industry professionals to see how brokers can embrace fintech and its benefits, rather than usurping vital parts of their trade.

“What fintech does brilliantly is help with the heavy lifting, such as pulling data from statements, matching it to payslips, and pre-populating affordability assessments,” said Liz Syms, CEO at Connect Mortgages.

“Fintech can replace processes, but it cannot replace the application of experience or empathy,” she continued.

According to the ‘2025 UK Bridging Market Survey’ from EY, independent brokers are still the primary channel for bridging loan originations, with 72% of survey respondents considering strong relationships with brokers as a key success factor. Speed of execution was the most important quality to a broker when choosing a bridging lender.

While Narinder Gill, senior associate at Coreco, acknowledged the need for speed and service in the lending process, he felt other essential elements required a broker’s touch.

“Both personal service and efficiency are critical but, in specialist finance, trust and personal insight often carry more weight, particularly with complex or nuanced borrowing needs,’’ he said.

He described how the requirement for both speed and a personal touch could set up a clash of priorities, with rushed digital processes lacking the nuance of broker input, while a deeply personalised service could slow the process.

Liz also saw potential friction: “You rarely get results by choosing one over the other. The two priorities clash because data sit in silos in different systems across the chain.

“Future adoption of the common data protocol between parties will be transformational,” she continued.

While the benefits of fintech tools were clear to Liz, she said this was dependent on sufficient management by brokers and lenders, highlighting that while automated document recognition and affordability checks used by lenders in underwriting could be efficient, they could also create bias.

Michelle Walsh, head of intermediary sales for commercial finance at Together, noted the potential for reduced costs and decision-making time, but said that without correct implementation, the origination process could suffer.

“It shouldn’t be overlooked that some functions may also lead to less efficient origination, particularly if the technology adoption and utilisation is not seamless or if regulatory hurdles are significant,” she explained.

Narinder commented on the benefits of centralised case tracking, automated document collection, and standardised communication in the broker-lender dynamic, but said inefficiencies could occur if systems were overly rigid or failed to account for non-standard cases.Without proper integration and communication, brokers could also duplicate work.

In the Kennek whitepaper, only 18.9% of lender and funder respondents said they didn’t see AI playing a major role in their business moving forward, while the majority saw potential for it to improve risk assessment and underwriting, as well as reducing costs.

Andrew Lloyd, CEO at loan origination software provider Fignum, said efficiency had historically been achieved at the cost of flexibility and customer centricity, something he believed could be remedied with AI.

“With the rise of AI and more dynamic platforms such as Fignum’s Origin, we will be able to combine flexibility and customer service with the speed and efficiency of more generic approaches.”

He believed AI could be effectively implemented in digital information sharing and decision making, query management, and golden data sourcing, or the practice of creating a single authoritative source of information.

Michelle thought AI could improve decision making and efficiency, but that human interaction remained crucial for building trust and addressing complex needs.

Liz said AI should be focused on improving advice, compliance, and customer experience, but never without governance. She noted the speed of its implementation: “AI is arriving a bit faster than we are perhaps prepared for, so the industry must start now to test, monitor, and train their teams.”

However, even with AI and other tools to service the market, Narinder believes the broker's role “remains far from redundant”, especially in specialist finance.

“Many clients rely on brokers not just for access to lenders, but for tailored advice, creative structuring, and human reassurance in complex or high-stakes cases,” he explained.

Despite this, there is a fear that brokers who are reluctant to fully embrace fintech may fall by the wayside.

“The key takeaway is that brokers need to ensure they are keeping up to date with and adopting the latest technologies,” stated Michelle.

“The numerous benefits provided will improve the overall service they can deliver, and those who do not join the fintech revolution risk being left behind by customers and competitors who are embracing technology.”