Tailored investment portfolios

VITTORIO CARLEI, CEO OF QI4M, A STARTUP INCUBATED BY B4I, EXPLAINS HOW AI CAN OFFER SUPPORT TO SMALL INVESTORS, FOR EXAMPLE BY TRANSLATING FINANCIAL LANGUAGE INTO NATURAL LANGUAGE

The market is not yet mature, since savers are not yet educated and ready to approach fintech services directly. Thus companies that offer financial products and services through technological platforms based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) must team up with large groups if they want to stay in business and find the necessary capital and a sufficient number of customers. «The market consequently tends towards concentration», states Vittorio Carlei, co-founder, CEO and Head of R&D at Qi4M, a company that has been on the market for five years and specializes in the creation of asset management robot solutions for institutional investors. «It should be noted, however, that AI will be able to involve the end saver with more accessible solutions». Among AI applications that are hitting the headlines is ChatGpt which, not surprisingly, Qi4M is researching to create a consultancy service that builds personalized investment portfolios. "This technology brings with it the advantage of being easy to use, since it translates financial jargon into natural language, and then provides solutions compliant with the European MiFID Directive", continues Carlei, is launching a crowdfunding campaign to support the birth of the new advisory service. Final goal: to enter the retail market with services accessible to all between the second half of this year and the beginning of 2024.

At the same time, the startup, developed by Bocconi University’s accelerator, B4i – Bocconi for innovation, continues to work together with an incumbent player to present the first robot investment fund on the market. «It's a pity that in Italy the legislation does not provide for this type of service», explains Carlei. «So we will launch it abroad and, if we will possibly bring it to the Italian market only at a later time, with a dedicated sandbox». But, more generally, how do you overcome distrust of latest technologies and promote them among the general public? «By explaining that we need to look at the results which can reassure us and bring us to trust them, even if we don't understand their functioning in detail», concludes the co-founder and CEO of Qi4M.

by Camillo Papini
Translated by Alex Foti