WeLab, a pan-Asia fintech platform, has partnered Google to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in digital banking across the region.

The partnership, announced on Saturday (Sep 28), is aimed at helping WeLab achieve its goal of providing AI-powered financial services to 500 million users by 2032.

WeLab will integrate Google’s AI models and cloud infrastructure into its operations, ranging from investment research to customer engagement and marketing. The fintech company said the collaboration will also strengthen its ability to expand quickly into new markets while meeting compliance and security requirements.

AI Agents for Financial Insights

As part of the collaboration, WeLab plans to introduce AI agents developed with Google Cloud technologies. Its first tool, an internal AI Investment Research Agent, will draw on both external and proprietary data to provide near-instant investment insights for staff.

The system will be powered by Google’s Gemini models on Vertex AI and its Agent Development Kit, enabling different agents to work seamlessly with one another.

WeLab also intends to develop customer-facing AI agents that can provide personalised financial insights in areas such as foreign exchange, lending, and wealth management. The company said the goal is to make high-quality financial advice more accessible beyond institutional investors.

Marketing and Customer Engagement

WeLab has begun applying Google AI tools to its marketing operations. Its Hong Kong lending arm, WeLend, recently launched what it described as its first fully AI-generated television commercial, built using Google’s Gemini and Veo models.

Other AI-driven marketing applications include more relevant ad placements based on user search queries, and real-time market insights to help identify new customer segments.

Building an AI-First Culture

Simon Loong, founder and group CEO of WeLab, said the partnership is expected to yield a 42.4 per cent efficiency gain within five years, based on the firm’s internal estimates.

“By partnering with Google, we can leverage its advanced AI and agentic capabilities to further accelerate adoption, explore new use cases, and deploy tools faster across our business – empowering our teams to focus on higher-value work, driving cost savings, and ultimately delivering greater value for our customers,” he said.

Google said it will provide training and support for WeLab employees, including workshops and hackathons, to build expertise in AI, data and security.

“AI is creating immense opportunities for Hong Kong’s world-class fintech industry,” said Michael Yue, managing director and general manager of Google Hong Kong. “We’re proud to support innovators like WeLab to leverage our full AI stack as they transform their business.”

WeLab has already deployed Google Cloud infrastructure in Indonesia, which it said will serve as a blueprint for its expansion into other Asian markets. The firm aims to embed AI across its product suite while maintaining compliance with local regulations and responsible AI practices.