BMO signs deal with Amazon division to help digital shift

Bank of Montreal picked Amazon.com’s web-services division as its preferred cloud provider to help the bank modernize operations and introduce new digital applications.

The deal includes using Amazon Web Services technology for the bank’s call centers and for remote-work tools for its employees, as well as employing the tech firm’s machine-learning capabilities, Seattle-based Amazon said. Financial terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed.

Bank of Montreal signage is displayed on a building in the financial district of Toronto.

Big Canadian banks have been adopting more digital services after the pandemic shut down or reduced capacity at their physical locations. The Amazon deal will help Bank of Montreal make its own operations more efficient, enabling it to convert customer-service conversations into text transcripts, digitize certain documents and more easily calculate the market and credit risks in its lending portfolio, said Victor Tung, the lender’s U.S. chief technology and operations officer.

“Digital isn’t just a channel, it’s a way we operate in every part of the business,” Tung said in an interview. “A big part of that is data analytics and user-friendly tools and common platforms that allow us to grow better and faster services.”

Bank of Montreal also will start a new cloud-skills training program for both its information-technology and nontechnical employees, Amazon said.

Bloomberg News
Digital banking Cloud computing Bank of Montreal
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