A memorandum recognizing the industry’s first methodology for assessing the financial impact of artificial intelligence implementation was signed at the AI ​​Journey 2025 international conference. The document establishes a performance evaluation standard for the entire financial industry, creating a common benchmark for banks and companies when investing in AI.

The methodology standardizes and simplifies the assessment of AI project effectiveness. It describes approaches for calculating the benefits of both commercial initiatives and R&D projects and solutions without immediate direct profit. An AI initiative involves a comprehensive change in business processes, so to improve the objectivity of assessing its impact, the methodology incorporates special mechanisms that eliminate double counting of results. The methodology contains clear formulas and typical cases with specific financial results, as well as convenient calculators for self-calculation. These tools allow organizations to input their data and instantly see the potential financial impact of AI implementation.

Key financial market players have joined the development and adoption of the methodology. The document was signed by Sber, T-Bank, Alfa-Bank, Rosselkhozbank, Gazprombank, Moscow Exchange, VSK, Dom.RF, MKB, VEB RF, and Kapital Life Insurance.

Work on the methodology was conducted at the «Artificial Intelligence in the Financial Industry» industry club, initiated by the AI ​​Alliance jointly with the FinTech Association.

Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the AI ​​Alliance, noted the importance of the development of a common standard: «The development of a unified methodology for assessing the financial impact of AI is a strategically significant initiative for our industry. Common performance standards and unified metrics will allow all players to speak the same language when implementing AI, which will increase investment transparency and trust in the technology. Through a systematic approach and open collaboration, we will accelerate the implementation of AI solutions and make the financial system more competitive and technologically advanced.»

Stanislav Bliznyuk, President of T-Technologies Group: «Creating a unified methodology for assessing the financial impact of AI implementation is a key step toward the mature and responsible use of technology. Our core principle is business efficiency, so when developing this methodology, we aimed to make it as focused as possible on measuring business results. The key value lies in developing industry-specific measurement principles based on assessment using only reliable and proven metrics, accounting for all associated costs, and applying robust analytical methods. This approach ensures an assessment of the real, rather than merely ostensible, effectiveness of AI implementation.»

Dmitry Grigorov, Director of Artificial Intelligence and Data, Senior Vice President of Alfa-Bank: «The development of a unified industry methodology is an important first step, allowing us to all speak the same language and rely on comparable principles for assessing AI effectiveness. Much collaborative work lies ahead to ensure these approaches are fully implemented in real-world processes and become established market practices. The methodology itself must also continue to evolve. In particular, we have already agreed to expand it with sections on model risk and risk management—these are critical elements of a mature AI practice.»

The methodology is now available for use by market participants and can be downloaded from the AI ​​Alliance website. This unified assessment standard is expected to become a practical tool, facilitating AI investment decisions and scaling successful solutions across the industry.

Furthermore, in the first quarter of next year, the AI ​​Alliance, together with SberUniversity, will develop an educational course on the methodology, which will allow participants to calculate the impact of real-world cases and apply the standard in their work. This will be the next step in developing a common culture of working with AI in the financial industry.