August 10, 2026
Nubank and Itaú Lead the AI Ranking, Without Looking at the Budget
The index that named the two most AI-mature banks in Latin America weights talent at 45%. Technology budget plays no role.
The index that named Nubank and Itaú as the most AI-mature banks in Latin America does not look at technology budgets. Evident Insights scores more than 60 public indicators, weighted as follows: talent 45%, innovation 30%, leadership 15%, transparency 10%. Goldman Sachs cited the result to support its buy recommendation on both stocks.
Nubank runs NuFormer, a proprietary credit model, and reports that almost its entire workforce uses AI daily. Itaú has more than 500 active use cases, from Pix via WhatsApp to fraud checks behind every card transaction.
What separates the two from the rest is where productivity gains go. According to Goldman, rather than cutting headcount after saving one or two hours of work per week with AI, the leadership reinvests those savings by hiring more specialists. Today's gain funds the next hire.
For Evident, this advantage tends to compound year after year: catching up with whoever moved first keeps getting more expensive. Only 8% of major banks in the region already have advanced generative AI running in production. More than half, 58%, have not moved past the planning stage.
The ranking rewards the decision that came before the budget: putting the right people first. The capital followed. That is not something you can buy in one capex quarter.
Sources: The Rio Times · Seu Dinheiro