AI-Driven Financial Advisory: from Overcoming Information Asymmetry to New Risks and Regulatory Challenges
TL;DR
The article analyzes the Bank of Russia's initiative to create a specialized AI agent for selecting financial products, which was announced in April 2026, and proposes a classification of maturity levels for AI financial intermediaries.
Abstract
The article analyzes the Bank of Russia's initiative to create a specialized AI agent for selecting financial products, which was announced in April 2026. It examines architectural and regulatory approaches to implementing agentic systems in financial advisory services. Based on a synthesis of international and Russian research, the study explores the economic nature of AI intermediation as a mechanism for overcoming information asymmetry, which simultaneously creates new challenges: technical vulnerabilities of algorithms, institutional risks, user interest manipulation, market latency, and the problem of liability distribution. Special attention is paid to the evolution of regulatory approaches abroad, the identification of factors determining the success of agentic systems implementation, as well as the analysis of international precedents. The author proposes a classification of maturity levels for AI financial intermediaries. Recommendations are formulated for the governance of the AI agent aimed at balancing technological autonomy, fiduciary responsibility, and competitive neutrality.