CEO of $50B fintech says stop selling AI Customers don’t care and ‘just want their problem solved’

“Customers don’t care if it’s AI-powered or not,” Chains said in an interview with the website. luck At the top of the most powerful women. “I think customers just want to have the best experience possible.”

At a time when CEOs across industries are rebranding products as “AI-powered” to meet investor expectations, Chanis’s position is one of discrimination, and Nubank In a strong position to challenge conventional wisdom.

It is now The largest digital bank in the world In terms of number of customers, with more than 120 million users across Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, and a market capitalization of about $50 billion, it is larger than many regional banks in the United States. Its growth did not come from noise cycles, but from eliminating friction.

“AI is an add-on tool… not a customer value proposition,” Chance said.

Inside Nubank’s AI strategy: implemented, not stated

Chanis says Nubank is investing heavily in AI across its operations but to improve functionality rather than brand. The company uses AI to enhance credit underwriting, detect and prevent fraud, automate customer service, improve collections, and enhance marketing and product analysis. These applications are designed to eliminate lag and improve accuracy for users, she said.

With more than 90% of customer inquiries handled digitally, AI now plays a role in streamlining service interactions. But Chanis is careful not to position technology as a selling point.

“Customers just want the best possible experience and the highest level of personalization possible,” she said. “It’s less important to them how.”

Voice banking and real-time payments

In Latin America, where cash has historically dominated and access to banking services has lagged, Nubank has used technology to modernize on a large scale. This includes integrating real-time payments through WhatsApp, the most widely used messaging platform in the region. Customers in Brazil can now initiate payments using voice commands, such as “Send 50 reais to Maria,” without opening a banking app; It’s an experience that blends artificial intelligence and financial infrastructure without drawing attention to it.

“Voice banking is something we’re experimenting with,” Chance said. “We are launching real-time payments through WhatsApp.”

Newly created channels for real-time banking have already transformed financial behavior in Brazil. The country’s instant payment system, Pix, introduced by the central bank in 2020, moves more money than credit and debit cards combined. Nubank is a key player in this shift: One in four Pix transactions in Brazil now goes through Nubank, Chance said.

From Brazil to the United States

Despite its size, most of Nubank’s operations are still concentrated in Latin America. But this may change soon. The company recently applied for a US national banking charter, indicating long-term plans to enter the US market.

“We don’t have a specific date for any US launch at this time, but licensing is a first step… We’re buying into the option,” Chance said.

For Chanis, Nubank’s advantage in breaking into the crowded fintech landscape is about staying connected with consumers.

“It’s very easy to connect with numbers and disconnect from people,” she said.

This risk increases with size, unless driving remains close to customers’ real vulnerabilities, she added. During her time as director in Brazil, Nubank added 24 million customers and launched more than 50 products, an expansion that she says only reinforced the company’s operating philosophy that technology should remove complexity, not add it.

In an AI-fueled business cycle, where technology is often treated as a story rather than a tool, Chanis is clear about Nubank’s strategy.

“People just want their problem solved,” she said. “It’s less important to them how.”