The influence of artificial intelligence on the professional services sector is immense according to industry leaders speaking at Benzinga's Fintech Day & Awards 2025. By integrating quality into real-time compliance and enhancing operational efficiency, AI is enabling professional services firms to operate with amplified agility. Asael Meir, Partner and Technology Industry Leader at CohnReznick, emphasized during the event that the industry is experiencing a real transformation of business operations through AI implementation.
Meir highlighted that AI enables companies to simultaneously embed quality improvements into operations while reducing costs, pointing to compliance as a specific area where AI can thrive. AI can complete repetitive and mundane tasks such as formatting or proofing at reduced cost, while also contributing significantly to risk management. Traditionally, risk management was conducted at specific intervals; however, with AI it now occurs in real time, which enables immediate feedback to clients. This adoption of AI within compliance will continue to grow, with Meir predicting that the systems and tools will get better as clients expect firms like CohnReznick to provide value as it relates to AI innovation, whether it's in audit or tax.
The discussion extended beyond professional services to financial services, where panelists agreed that AI is having a monumental impact from automating and speeding up operations to spurring multimillion-dollar investments. On the investment side, AI makes it more difficult to invest with technology advancing and changing so rapidly, but on upgrading financial services in which many processes are still manual and labor-intensive, just like professional services, they agree it's transformational. A major trend anticipated by panelists for 2026 is the convergence of decentralized finance and artificial intelligence, supported by a regulatory landscape that's now far more accommodating.
This shift is expected to lead to larger capital raises for companies working in this area, with firms like Ripple, which recently secured $500 million at a $40 billion valuation, likely helping to fuel further interest in the sector in 2026. Whether it's financial services or other professional services, AI is fundamentally changing how businesses operate, manage risk, and deliver value to clients. The transformation extends from operational improvements to strategic deal-making considerations as the technology continues to evolve and integrate across various business functions.
