Bradesco modernizes wholesale credit at scale
How one of Brazil’s largest banks moved from legacy to unified.
reduction in manual steps
reduction in systems used
9%
decrease in rework
The Business Issue
When Bradesco, one of Brazil’s largest and most respected banks, set out to modernize its wholesale credit operations, the stakes were high. With over 73 million clients and a portfolio exceeding $60 billion, the bank’s legacy systems – built over decades of growth and acquisitions – could no longer keep pace with the demands of a fast-moving market.
Bradesco’s wholesale credit process involved 55 linear, manual steps spread across more than 100 legacy systems. Analysts spent 40% of their time just gathering data. This meant slower decisions, higher operational risk, and missed opportunities in a competitive market where speed is everything.
A vision for change
In early 2024, Bradesco launched a ten-pillar transformation program aimed at restoring profitability and agility. At the heart of this initiative was their mission to redefine how Bradesco delivers credit, with the ultimate goal of reducing time-to-yes, improving decision quality, and lowering operational risk.
To achieve this, Bradesco partnered with Pega to build a modern, AI-powered platform that could replace fragmented workflows with a unified, intelligent experience. The transformation was structured in three waves, with each wave building on the previous one.
The Solution
Wave 1: Laying the foundation
The first wave focused on rebuilding the credit analysis workflow from the ground up. Bradesco introduced a new, intuitive front end that allowed analysts and technical teams to work in parallel. For the first time, users could attach documents directly to proposals. Structured data was also captured to support future AI use cases.
The results were immediate and measurable:
- 24% reduction in manual steps
- 75% drop in systems used
- 20% decrease in time-to-yes
- 9% reduction in rework
75% of users were able to complete tasks without any training – proof that the new system was not only powerful but also intuitive.
Wave 2: Intelligence in action
With the foundation in place, Bradesco moved into Wave 2: embedding advanced analytics and automation. Early warning systems were introduced to flag risk changes, and a swim lane-based approach allowed the process to adapt to the complexity of each proposal. Automated decisioning freed analysts to focus on high-value cases, while AI insights began guiding decisions and portfolio strategies.
Wave 3: The future with GenAI
The third wave brings generative AI into the fold. Bradesco is currently building capabilities for automated credit and rating analysis, analyst assistants, and AI-powered recommendations. The goal is a fully connected, cloud-hosted platform where every credit activity – from client visits to documentation – is streamlined in one place.
The Results
Operational efficiency
- 24% reduction in manual steps
- 75% reduction in systems used
- 9% decrease in rework
Speed to decision
- 20% faster time-to-yes
- Analysts now spend less time gathering data
User experience
- 75% of users completed tasks without training
Business impact
- Faster deal response means better pricing and higher win rates.
- Structured data foundation enables GenAI and advanced analytics.
- Positioned to scale across retail banking and credit recovery.
Strategic wins
- Legacy “black screen” systems being retired
- One-stop-shop platform vision in progress
- Transformation recognized as a top-priority investment by leadership
Want to dive deeper into Bradesco’s journey? Watch their PegaWorld breakout session.
Unleash enterprise agility.
“As we know, time-to-yes is a key metric for credit analysis. We reduced that by 20%. That means the closer we respond to our clients, the more likely we are to close deals.”