IBM欲借人工智能发力金融咨询

IBM is set to acquire Promontory Financial, a Washington-based financial consulting firm, as part of a broader effort to use artificial intelligence to analyse regulations and provide advice to financial institutions.

IBM将收购总部驻华盛顿的金融咨询公司鹏睿金融集团(Promontory Financial Group)，以实现用人工智能(AI)技术分析监管规定、并为金融机构提供咨询意见的更大目标。

The computer maker said it was launching a new unit, Watson Financial Services, that would seek to harness the power of Watson, its artificial intelligence computer system, to advise clients on risk and compliance.

这家计算机制造商表示正成立一个名为沃森金融服务(Watson Financial Services)的新部门，该部门会试图利用其人工智能计算机系统沃森(Watson)的巨大威力，为客户提供风险与合规方面的咨询意见。

IBM has suffered from falling revenues over the past four years as its core computer business declines, and Ginni Rometty, its chief executive, has tried to counteract this by focusing on new business areas such as analytics and cloud services.

过去四年，随着其核心计算机业务的下滑，IBM饱受营收下滑之苦。该公司首席执行官罗睿兰(Ginni Rometty)曾试图通过将注意力集中于分析和云计算服务等新的商业领域，对抗这一趋势。

The company has been spending aggressively to invest in these areas, making $5bn worth of acquisitions in the first six months of this year, although it did not disclose the price tag for the Promontory deal.

在这些领域，该公司一直在以激进的开销开展投资，今年上半年实施了价值50亿美元的收购交易。不过，该公司并未披露其在鹏睿并购交易中的价码。

Promontory is a consulting firm founded and led by Eugene Ludwig, who was a top banking official during the Clinton administration.

鹏睿是由尤金•路德维格(Eugene Ludwig)创办并领导的一家咨询公司，后者在克林顿执政期间是一位顶级的银行业官员。

It has more than 600 employees globally, many of who are former regulators who provide consulting services to the banks they once regulated.

该公司在全球拥有逾600名员工，其中许多人都曾在监管机构任职，现在则在为他们曾监管过的银行提供咨询服务。

Through this tie-up IBM hopes to tap into the market for helping banks manage a fast-changing regulatory environment, a niche that it estimates is worth some $270bn a year.

IBM希望通过这一结盟，开发这一帮助银行管理快速变化的监管环境的市场。据IBM估计，这一小众市场每年的规模约为2700亿美元。

After the deal with Promontory closes, its employees will help train Watson so that the artificial intelligence system can better understand risk and compliance.

在与鹏睿的交易完成后，鹏睿员工将帮助训练沃森系统，从而令该系统能够更好地理解风险与合规问题。

This is a workload ideally suited for Watson’s cognitive capabilities intended to allow financial institutions to absorb the regulatory changes, understand their obligations, and . . . address compliance requirements more quickly, the company said in a statement.

该公司在一份声明中表示：这是一种完美适合沃森认知能力的工作，意在令金融机构吸收监管条例的变化，理解它们的义务，并且……更迅速地应对合规要求。

The tasks that Watson could perform include tracking changing regulations, financial risk modelling, surveillance, and anti-money laundering work, the company said.

IBM表示，沃森可能会执行的任务包括跟踪研究不断变化的监管条例、金融风险建模、监督工作及反洗钱工作。

Watson, which became famous for beating human contestants on the game show Jeopardy!, has previously been used for big-data processing work including cancer research, but has yet to have any blockbuster commercial applications.

沃森系统曾在智力比赛综艺节目《危险边缘》(Jeopardy!)中打败人类参赛者，从而让其名声大噪。此前，该系统一直被用于包括癌症研究在内的大数据处理，不过迄今仍未有过任何一鸣惊人的商业应用。

We believe the future of business and regulation will be driven by the need for advanced technology alongside deep subject-matter expertise, said Mr Ludwig.

路德维格表示：我们相信，驱动商业和监管未来的，除了对目标领域深厚专业技能的需要以外，还包括对先进技术的需要。

Last year Promontory faced a lawsuit from the Department of Financial Services related to services provided to Standard Chartered involving its business with Iran.

去年，鹏睿曾由于为渣打银行(Standard Chartered)提供的服务卷入了该行与伊朗的业务，面临纽约州金融服务管理局(Department of Financial Services)的法律诉讼。

Promontory settled the charges for $15m and admitted that it did not comply with regulations for consultants.

通过缴纳1500万美元罚金并承认未能遵守咨询公司监管规定，鹏睿就相关指控达成了和解。

IBM’s share price, which has risen 14 per cent this year, was flat on Thursday on news of the acquisition.

并购消息传出之后，IBM股价在周四保持平稳。此前，该公司股价在今年已上涨14%。