Backbase acquires Kasisto to advance agentic banking capabilities

By Milan Rojan

Amsterdam-based Backbase has acquired Kasisto, a provider of conversational AI and agentic banking technology, in a move aimed at accelerating the adoption of AI-powered banking experiences and strengthening its AI-native Banking OS.

The acquisition has brought Kasisto’s financial services intelligence platform, agentic AI technology and New York-based team into Backbase, as the company has sought to help banks move beyond isolated AI deployments towards more integrated customer and operational journeys.

Jouk Pleiter, Founder and CEO of Backbase, said: “This is a bold step forward in our mission to re-architect banking around the customer. AI is not another channel; it’s the new operating model. With Kasisto, we’re accelerating our vision to help banks move from fragmented AI experiments to a unified, agentic architecture that turns intent into action at scale.”

According to Backbase, many banks have experimented with AI agents that have answered customer questions but have struggled to complete complex banking tasks end-to-end. The company has said the addition of Kasisto’s technology is designed to address this challenge by enabling banks to deploy reasoning-based agents that can understand customer intent, execute actions and operate across multiple channels, including chat, voice and messaging.

Backbase has stated that the combined platform will support banks in delivering personalised banking experiences while maintaining governance, security and compliance requirements.

Lance Berks, CEO of Kasisto, said: “Backbase and Kasisto share a common vision: that the future of banking lies in intelligent, agentic experiences that empower both customers and employees. Together, we can deliver on that vision faster and at greater scale than either company could alone.”

The company has said the acquisition supports its strategy of embedding banking-grade agentic AI across customer engagement, sales, servicing and operational workflows. Backbase has added that the integrated Agentic Banking suite has become available immediately to both existing and prospective customers.

The acquisition has reflected growing momentum across the banking sector towards agentic AI, with financial institutions increasingly exploring technologies that can automate tasks, orchestrate workflows and deliver more personalised customer interactions while operating within regulatory and governance frameworks.