AI for professionals 路 Free
AI for Banking and Financial Services
Use ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot for real banking work without breaking the rules: prompts for bank tasks, credit file summaries and credit memos you check line by line, KYC and AML alert narratives that leave the decision with you, customer replies and complaints, reading circulars with citations you verify, loan book analysis in Excel, model risk and bias, and the confidentiality rules that come first.
Inside the course
From the lessons
AI in banking today: where it helps and where it must not decide
IBM Technology
Prompting for banking work: role, source, format and check
Association for Financial Professionals
Customer data, confidentiality and your bank's AI policy
Security Journey
Responsible AI and what regulators expect
Knowledge at Wharton
Credit files and credit memos with AI
Corporate Finance Institute
KYC and AML operations: alert narratives and adverse media
Governance Risk & Compliance (GRC)
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Explain where AI is used in banking today and where it must not decide; write prompts that set the role, the source, the format and the check; keep customer and bank data out of public AI tools and work inside your bank's AI policy; summarise what regulators expect, including the RBI FREE-AI framework, US model risk guidance (SR 26-2, which replaced SR 11-7), the UK PRA's SS1/23 and the EU AI Act; summarise a credit file and draft a credit memo whose every number you have checked; draft KYC and AML alert narratives and triage adverse media while the decision stays with you; draft customer replies and complaint responses; read circulars with a grounded tool and verify every citation; analyse a loan book and arrears buckets in a spreadsheet with checked arithmetic; explain model risk, bias and explainability; and use AI to prepare for client meetings as a branch or relationship manager.
- Sort bank tasks into draft with AI, check with AI, and human decision only
- Write five-part prompts that give the source and ask for evidence you can check
- Keep customer and non-public bank data out of public AI tools and follow your bank's AI policy
- Explain what FREE-AI, SR 26-2, PRA SS1/23 and the EU AI Act expect from a lender using AI
- Draft a credit memo with an assistant and recalculate every ratio, including DSCR, yourself
- Triage adverse media and turn case facts into a factual alert narrative without tipping off
- Draft complaint replies that pass four checks, and read circulars with verified citations
- Analyse a loan book by days past due, weight average rates correctly, and run a first fairness check
For you
Taking AI for Banking and Financial Services from the United States
- Free in the United States, as everywhere, and self-paced: lessons, notes and the final assessment are open at any hour, so your time zone and shift pattern do not matter.
- The optional certificate for learners in the United States is a one-off US$23.99. What you get for it
- Plants across the Americas most often run Allen-Bradley, Siemens and Inductive Automation; each has its own free course to take next.
- See automation and engineering jobs in the United States, and what the industry looks like in Houston, Detroit and Chicago.
- EDWartens also has a regional site for the United States, for classroom training and local support: edwartens.com/us.
The course project 路 about 8 hours
An AI-assisted SME credit memo pack for a regional bank: AI use plan, risk register, credit memo with tie-out, and a controls checklist
Act as the credit analyst asked to show how an SME lending team can use AI safely. Write the team's AI use plan, a risk register for the AI uses it proposes, a credit memo for an invented packaging company drafted with an assistant and every number traced and checked, and the controls checklist the team will sign before a memo goes to committee. Invented data throughout; the sample pack shows each document for a regional bank's SME unit.
Sample document pack, 5 documents, filled in for the scenario
- PlanAI use plan: SME credit memo pilot
- Risk registerAI in SME credit memos: risks and controls
- ReportCredit memo: Kestrel Packaging, renewal and term loan (extract with tie-out)
- ProcedureControls checklist for AI-assisted credit memos
- ReportPilot time and error report: first memo
Read inside the course and download as a workbook. The project is optional practice, marked when you submit it; the certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
Course content
12 modules 路 46 lessons 路 8h 51m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01AI in banking today: where it helps and where it must not decide4 lessons38m
- 02Prompting for banking work: role, source, format and check4 lessons55m
- 03Customer data, confidentiality and your bank's AI policy3 lessons18m
- 04Responsible AI and what regulators expect3 lessons1h 13m
- 05Credit files and credit memos with AI4 lessons56m
- 06KYC and AML operations: alert narratives and adverse media6 lessons1h 3m
- 07Customer communication and complaints4 lessons43m
- 08Reading regulations and circulars with AI, and verifying citations3 lessons37m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Beginner in AI. For people who already work in a bank, NBFC, credit union, microfinance institution or fintech: branch and relationship staff, credit analysts, KYC and AML analysts, operations, compliance and customer service. No coding or data science background is needed.
- Software
- A free account on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot, and Excel or Google Sheets. At work, use only the AI tools your bank has approved. What to download, and how
- Hardware
- A laptop or desktop.
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Use invented data or public documents for every exercise. Never paste confidential customer or bank data into a public AI tool; at work, use only the AI tools your bank has approved.
One AI assistant
Any one is enough.
- 01Free plan with limits
ChatGPT
OpenAI, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus mobile and desktop apps
- Account
- A free OpenAI account
The Free plan allows everyday text chats. File uploads, image creation, voice and data analysis have tighter limits than paid plans, and ads may appear in some countries. Paid plans raise the limits.
Steps
- 1.Open chatgpt.com.
- 2.Click Sign up and create an account with your email, or a Google, Microsoft or Apple account.
- 3.Verify your email and confirm your details.
- 4.Type your question in the message box.
- Do not paste personal data, passwords or confidential work files.
- ChatGPT tells you when you reach a limit. Wait for it to reset or switch to a lighter task.
Open ChatGPTchatgpt.com - 02Free plan with limits
Claude
Anthropic, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus desktop and mobile apps
- Account
- A free Claude account (you must be 18 or over)
The Free plan covers chat on web, desktop and mobile, web search, file creation and Artifacts. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour window and depend on message length and features used. Paid plans give more usage.
Steps
- 1.Open claude.ai (or see the plans at claude.com/pricing).
- 2.Sign up with your email or Google account and confirm your email.
- 3.Confirm you are 18 or over and accept the terms.
- 4.Type your question in the message box.
- Long conversations and large files use up your limit faster. Start a new chat for a new topic.
- Do not paste personal data or confidential work files.
Open Claudeclaude.com - 03Free with limits
Google Gemini
Google, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus Android and iOS apps
- Account
- A free Google account
Free with a Google account, including a Flash model, limited access to the Pro model, image generation, Deep Research and Gems. Paid Google AI plans give higher limits. Some features require you to be 18 or over.
Steps
- 1.Open gemini.google.com.
- 2.Sign in with your Google account.
- 3.Accept the terms the first time you use it.
- 4.Type your question or upload a file in the prompt box.
- Use a personal Google account. Work or school accounts depend on your administrator's settings.
Open Google Geminigemini.google.com - 04Free
Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
Microsoft, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus Windows, macOS, Android and iOS apps
- Account
- None needed
Microsoft Copilot is free for individuals; you must be at least 13 (older in some countries). Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is included at no extra cost for organisations with an eligible Microsoft 365 licence and needs a work or school (Microsoft Entra ID) account.
Steps
- 1.Open copilot.microsoft.com.
- 2.Optionally click Sign in and use your personal Microsoft account.
- 3.Type your question in the message box.
- 4.For work or school use, sign in at microsoft365.com with your organisation account and open Copilot Chat.
- Copilot Chat with a work or school account adds enterprise data protection. Use it for work material if your organisation provides it.
Open Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chatcopilot.microsoft.com
Optional
Useful, not needed to finish the course.
- 05Free web version with limits
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft
- Runs on
- Excel for the web in any modern browser; desktop apps for Windows and macOS with a Microsoft 365 subscription
- Account
- A free Microsoft account
Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account and 5 GB of cloud storage. The desktop app comes with a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, which offers a free trial. Python in Excel is not available on free licences, and fuller Copilot features need an eligible paid plan.
Steps
- 1.Open the Excel page on microsoft.com and select Sign up for free, or Sign in.
- 2.Create or sign in to your Microsoft account.
- 3.Select Open Excel to start Excel for the web.
- 4.Upload the course workbook to OneDrive and open it.
- 5.If a lesson needs a desktop-only feature, consider the Microsoft 365 free trial.
- Most formulas, tables and charts work in Excel for the web; some advanced tools, such as Power Pivot and many add-ins, need the desktop app.
- Check the Python in Excel availability page before a Python lesson.
Official download pagemicrosoft.comAlternatives
- LibreOffice Calc: Free desktop spreadsheet for Windows, macOS and Linux.
- Google Sheets: Free browser spreadsheet with a Google Account.
- 06Free
Google Sheets
Google, in the browser
- Runs on
- Web browser; apps for Android and iOS
- Account
- A free Google Account
Anyone with a Google Account can use Google Sheets free. Some Gemini features in Sheets need a paid Google Workspace plan.
Steps
- 1.Open Google Sheets and sign in with your Google Account, or create one.
- 2.Select Blank spreadsheet, or open a template.
- 3.Use File, Import to load the course's CSV or Excel file.
- 4.Your work saves automatically to Google Drive.
- 5.Use File, Download to save an .xlsx copy if needed.
- Most Excel formulas work the same in Sheets; a few functions have different names.
Open Google Sheetsworkspace.google.com - 07Free with limits
Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)
Google, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus Android and iOS apps
- Account
- A free Google account (age verified)
Free with a personal Google account. Usage limits apply and paid Google AI plans give higher limits and extra features.
Steps
- 1.Open notebook.google (the old notebooklm.google address redirects there).
- 2.Sign in with your Google account and verify your age if asked.
- 3.Create a new notebook.
- 4.Add sources such as PDFs, web links or Google Docs, then ask questions about them.
- NotebookLM was renamed Gemini Notebook in July 2026. Existing notebooks and links still work.
- Only upload documents you have the right to share.
Open Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)notebooklm.google
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
AI for Banking and Financial Services at a glance
AI for Banking and Financial Services is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for bank, NBFC, credit union and fintech staff: credit analysts, relationship and branch managers, KYC and AML analysts, compliance, operations and customer service. It has 12 modules and 8h 51m of video lessons by IBM Technology, Bloomberg Tech, Bernard Marr and others, with written notes and worked problems, a practical project with a document pack and a 15-question final assessment (pass mark 60%). Learning is free with an account; an optional certificate with a public verification code is issued when you pass. Last updated 27 September 2026.
All course factsHide course facts
- Price
- Free, for good. No trial, no card. The only paid item is the optional certificate, a small one-off fee.
- Who it is for
- Bank, NBFC, credit union and fintech staff: credit analysts, relationship and branch managers, KYC and AML analysts, compliance, operations and customer service
- Format
- 12 self-paced modules, 8h 51m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Beginner. Beginner in AI. For people who already work in a bank, NBFC, credit union, microfinance institution or fintech: branch and relationship staff, credit analysts, KYC and AML analysts, operations, compliance and customer service. No coding or data science background is needed.
- Brand
- Vendor-neutral
- Software
- A free account on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot, and Excel or Google Sheets. At work, use only the AI tools your bank has approved.
- Hardware
- A laptop or desktop.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- IBM Technology, Bloomberg Tech, Bernard Marr, McKinsey & Company, Association for Financial Professionals, Nicolas Boucher, Luke Finance, Security Journey, MeetGeek, Knowledge at Wharton, EU Made Simple, Cambridge Spark, Corporate Finance Institute, Perfios, 365 Financial Analyst, Pranay Sanghvi | AI for Finance, Governance Risk & Compliance (GRC), Thomson Reuters Legal, KYC Lookup | AML Accredited Training, BankerTraining, EPCOR - Electronic Payments Core of Knowledge, Feedzai | Fraud and Financial Crime, Microsoft India, Myra Golden, Kyle Behrend, Jeff Su, Rowena Maxwell, Claude, Tasia Custode, Mike Dion | AI For Finance, The Industry Portal, OnlineCompliancePanel, Google, CrashCourse, OpenAI, Finextra Research, Bloomberg Live (independent creators, credited below)
- Language
- English
- Last updated
- 27 September 2026
A shareable EDWartens certificate
Finish every module and pass the final assessment, and the optional EDWartens certificate is yours. It carries a unique verification code on a public page anyone can check, so it stands up when a recruiter looks it up. See it below.
The course itself stays free whether or not you ever buy one.
Stuck? Ask a practising engineer
A free course usually means a comment section and hope. This one does not. Every module has an Ask-your-trainer panel that reaches the same engineers who teach our paid programme: people who commission panels for a living, not moderators.
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FreePLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA PortalFree Siemens TIA Portal course for beginners: write ladder logic for a simulated S7-1200 and WinCC HMI. Learning is free; the certificate is optional and paid.
FreePLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA Portal in Three HoursThe first three hours of the Siemens TIA Portal course, cut to end on a win: what a PLC is, how it is wired, a project configured in TIA Portal, and your first ladder program running in simulation. Finish it in an evening or two, earn a certificate, and carry straight on into the full course.
FreePLC programming 路 FreeTIA Portal: Build a MachineOne machine, start to finish. Take a bottle filling line from a written specification and an I/O list to a structured S7-1200 program with a fill station, a capper, a reject sorter and an operator screen with alarms, then test it against a written record and archive it for hand-over. The lessons are the reference; the machine is yours, and it is what you submit.More free courses: Free AI courses for professionals
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Common questions
What is the AI for Banking and Financial Services course?
It is a free-to-learn course that teaches bank and finance staff to use AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot for real work: credit memos, KYC and AML narratives, customer replies, reading circulars and loan book analysis. Every module keeps the same rule: the assistant drafts, a person checks every fact and number, and decisions stay with an accountable person.
Who is this AI course for bankers designed for?
It is for people already working in banks, NBFCs, credit unions, microfinance institutions and fintechs: branch and relationship managers, credit analysts, KYC and AML analysts, operations, compliance and customer service staff. You need no coding, data science or prior AI experience.
Do I need paid AI tools or customer data for the exercises?
No. Every exercise works with a free ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot account and Excel or Google Sheets, using invented data or public documents such as regulators' circulars. The course teaches you never to paste confidential customer or bank data into a public AI tool, and to use only the tools your bank has approved at work.
Which regulations and frameworks does the course cover?
It covers the common controls regulators expect for AI in banking and explains four sources in plain words: a central bank's published AI framework for its financial sector, US model risk guidance SR 26-2 (which replaced SR 11-7 in 2026), the UK PRA's SS1/23 and the EU AI Act's treatment of credit scoring as high-risk. Staff in the Gulf and other markets can apply the same controls under their own central bank's rules; the course is not legal advice.
How long does the course take, and is it free to learn?
It takes about 13 hours at your own pace, of which about 9 hours is video across 11 modules, plus about 8 hours if you do the optional project. Every module, the notes, worked problems, practice tasks, the project and the final assessment are free to learn.
What certificate do I get, and how is it verified?
You get a verifiable certificate of completion when you finish the modules and pass the 15-question final assessment at 60 percent. It has a unique certificate number and a QR code that open a public verification page showing the course, the modules covered and your final score. It is not a banking qualification or a regulator's certification.
Will this course teach me to use AI for credit decisions or investment advice?
No. It teaches AI for drafting, summarising and analysis around credit, with you recalculating every ratio and writing the recommendation yourself, and it gives no investment advice. Credit decisions, suspicious activity reports and complaint outcomes stay with trained, accountable people.
What jobs does AI for banking help with?
It helps people in roles such as credit analyst, relationship manager, branch manager, KYC analyst, AML investigator, compliance officer and operations or customer service lead work faster without breaking controls. Fraud controls are covered separately in the Cyber Fraud and Security for Finance Teams course.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for AI for Banking and Financial Services
Finish the course, pass the final, and this is the document with your name on it.
Verifiable by anyone
Adds to LinkedIn in one click
QR code on the certificate
Names what you can do
A permanent link
Earned, not attended
Learning is free. The certificate is optional.
Add it now and pay only when you have finished the course, or come back for it later. One-off, US$23.99, with a receipt.
Issued by EDWartens, the training division of Wartens, as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. Sold by Wartens Ltd (England and Wales). It is not a vendor certification, a university award or a CPD-accredited activity, and it does not certify competence on live equipment. Delivered electronically; see the refund policy.
Credits
Who made the video lessons
The video lessons in this course were created by the people below, not by EDWartens. Every lesson streams from its creator's own YouTube channel; EDWartens neither hosts nor sells that footage, and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens and do not endorse this course. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
- IBM Technologythe explainers on AI in banking, why large language models hallucinate, the risks of agentic AI, explainable AI and algorithmic bias
- Bloomberg Techthe reports on how banks use AI, the Klarna interview on AI in customer service, and AI in wealth management
- Bernard Marrexamples of how ChatGPT can be used in banking
- McKinsey & Companythe discussion of how AI is rewriting the rules of banking
- Association for Financial ProfessionalsAI prompting for finance professionals
- Nicolas Bouchergenerative AI in corporate finance and Copilot in Excel for finance
- Luke Financeusing AI for finance work with context and iteration
- Security Journeywhat not to share with a language model
- MeetGeekkeeping company data secure when using AI
- Knowledge at Whartonhow to approach financial regulation of AI
- EU Made Simplethe EU AI Act explained
- Cambridge Sparkthe conversation with Jessica Rusu on the FCA's approach to AI governance in finance
- Corporate Finance Institutecredit analysis fundamentals and financial analysis for credit
- Perfioshow AI is changing credit risk work from manual files to generative AI
- 365 Financial Analystusing ChatGPT as a financial analyst
- Pranay Sanghvi | AI for Financethe Claude tutorial for finance professionals
- Governance Risk & Compliance (GRC)adverse media and its use in AML compliance
- Thomson Reuters Legaladverse media screening
- KYC Lookup | AML Accredited Trainingwhat a suspicious activity report is and when to submit one
- BankerTrainingwriting the SAR narrative
- EPCOR - Electronic Payments Core of Knowledgewriting an effective suspicious activity report
- Feedzai | Fraud and Financial Crimehow AI can move AML monitoring from rules to reasoning
- Microsoft Indiahow AI is reshaping customer service in banking
- Myra Goldenwriting a complaint response email to a customer
- Kyle Behrendusing ChatGPT for customer complaint emails
- Jeff Sua fast tour of NotebookLM, now Gemini Notebook
- Rowena Maxwellreading legislation with a grounded notebook
- Claudewhy AI models hallucinate
- Tasia CustodeGemini in Google Sheets
- Mike Dion | AI For Financehow far a chat assistant goes with analyst work
- The Industry Portalwhat model risk is in banking
- OnlineCompliancePanelthe SR 11-7 supervisory guidance on model risk management
- Googlethree types of bias in AI
- CrashCoursealgorithmic bias and fairness
- OpenAIMorgan Stanley's use of an AI assistant for its advisers
- Finextra Researchthe most compelling AI use cases in wealth management
- Bloomberg LiveAI leaders at JPMorgan and PNC on bank use cases
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.