Overview
A Tier 1 bank with a 600-person operations team deployed Smart Agents to transform its nostro cash reconciliations function, replacing a manual, exception-heavy process with autonomous agentic execution and end-to-end case management.
Challenge
The bank’s operations team was managing exception backlogs manually across multiple nostro accounts, with no scalable path forward. The volume and complexity of unresolved breaks were causing persistent SLA breaches, placing growing pressure on an already stretched workforce. The absence of structured exception triage or automated resolution meant that senior operations staff were diverted to routine investigative tasks, limiting capacity for higher-value activity.
Solution
The bank implemented Smart Agents, Smartstream’s agentic AI solution built on decades of reconciliation domain knowledge and deep integration with Smart Reconciliations. Smart Agents autonomously investigate flagged exceptions, retrieve data across connected systems, apply institutional and Smartstream domain logic, and resolve breaks end-to-end with full audit trail and human-in-the-loop oversight where required. Existing standard operating procedures were ingested to ensure agents operate within the bank’s established workflows from day one.
Benefits
In Year 1, the bank achieved a 40% reduction in exception handling effort across its nostro cash reconciliations operations. Over a three-year horizon, the deployment is projected to deliver $38 million in operational savings. SLA adherence improved materially as exception backlogs were eliminated, and the operations team was redeployed toward higher-value activity, establishing a scalable foundation for continued autonomous operations growth.
