Sikoia, Finova partner to automate document verification with AI

By Vriti Gothi

Sikoia has partnered with Finova to revolutionise document verification in the lending process. The collaboration addresses one of the inefficiencies in mortgage applications: the manual review of broker-submitted documents, a step that often inflates costs, delays decisions, and adds unnecessary friction to the broker and customer journey.

At the heart of the initiative is the integration of Sikoia’s AI-driven document intelligence directly into Finova’s lending platform. This innovation enables lenders to automate a wide range of critical checks, from confirming whether documents such as bank statements and payslips meet application criteria to facilitating complex income and affordability assessments. By shifting these tasks away from manual review, the solution significantly reduces processing times, minimises errors, and frees underwriters to focus on higher-value, judgement-based decisions.

The collaboration forms a key component of Finova’s broader strategy to embed Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Model (LLM) technologies across its mortgage and savings platform. This first deployment targets document handling, with immediate benefits including improved data quality and the elimination of repetitive back-and-forth between brokers and underwriters. Crucially, structured data extracted through the platform is presented in an accessible format, supporting faster and more informed underwriting decisions.

“Manual verification of customer-submitted information remains a major bottleneck for lenders. Our partnership with Finova demonstrates how Sikoia’s platform can solve this challenge at scale,” said Alexis Rog, CEO and Founder of Sikoia. “With Finova powering one in five UK mortgages, we’re proud to share their vision of embedding AI into the lending journey to transform the experience for underwriters and customers.”

Rowan Clayton, Chief Product Officer at Finova, said, “This partnership reflects Finova’s commitment to solving real, day-to-day challenges for lenders, brokers and consumers. By integrating Sikoia’s AI-driven document intelligence into our lending platform, we’re cutting the delays caused by manual checks and document errors. It’s a tangible example of how we’re using emerging technologies to streamline the mortgage and savings journey. This is just the first step in our broader strategy to deliver intelligent, connected solutions across both the lender and broker ecosystems.”