PNB transforms work with AI to deliver innovative financial services with Azure OpenAI Service and Microsoft 365 Copilot

As one of Malaysia's largest fund management companies, PNB wanted to future-proof its business and empower employees to thrive in an AI-driven future.

PNB became one of the first Copilot for Microsoft 365 adopters in Malaysia and incorporated a customer AI chatbot built on Azure OpenAI Service to handle internal human resources queries.

PNB employees have streamlined workflows, saved time, and amplified productivity. The company is now set to enrich customer experiences and explore innovative new ways to use AI in the investment industry.

Established in 1978, under the Malaysian Government’s New Economic Policy (NEP), Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) has become one of the country’s biggest fund management companies. Staying focused on its mandate, it strives to enrich the lives of Bumiputeras and all Malaysians for the prosperity of the nation. With its renewed purpose, it aims to uplift the financial lives of Malaysians across generations.

Moving forward, PNB is committed to further enhancing customer experiences through innovation and digitalization.Chief Technology Officer at PNB, Ts. Izzat Aziz, sees great potential for AI in the future. “AI isn’t about leaving problem-solving to machines, but rather, enhancing our problem-solving capabilities and taking businesses further at an accelerated pace. It’s the engine of the next industrial revolution and we’ve just begun to understand its potential,” he says. “By harnessing AI’s vast potential early, PNB can proactively build the necessary workforce, mindset, and skill set needed to thrive in an AI-driven future.”

By harnessing AI’s vast potential early, PNB can proactively build the necessary workforce, mindset, and skill set needed to thrive in an AI-driven future.

Ts. Izzat Aziz, Chief Technology Officer, PNB

Becoming an early adopter

PNB turned to Microsoft, the company’s preferred technology partner, to start its AI journey. “The release of Microsoft 365 Copilot was the catalyst we needed. It was a low-risk yet high-impact solution with a user-centric design that made it easy to integrate into employee workflows,” says Ts. Izzat. “Plus, we could gradually scale it up, as our employees gain experience and confidence in AI.” With Microsoft’s support, PNB was among the first to deploy Microsoft 365 Copilot in Malaysia.

The release of Microsoft 365 Copilot was the catalyst we needed. It was a low-risk yet high-impact solution with a user-centric design that made it easy to integrate into employee workflows.

Ts. Izzat Aziz, Chief Technology Officer, PNB

Microsoft helped PNB meet the stringent data privacy requirements in the finance industry while still ensuring access to all the relevant data to optimize the solution. “When an employee is signed into Copilot for Microsoft 365, they can only access the data they are authorized to use. These permissions are customized to each employee individually, which enables them to do their jobs without any hiccups,” explains Mohd Irwan Ahmad Mustafa, Group Chief Financial Officer at PNB.

To create a solid foundation and ease the transition into using Microsoft 365 Copilot, PNB used a two-step process. “The effectiveness of AI technology is reliant on how well the user can optimize the tools available. So, our focus during the first phase was to help our staff better understand AI principles and be more receptive to exploring the potential benefits that AI offers in their respective areas,” adds Ts. Izzat.

Together with Microsoft, PNB led a series of workshops to educate and train employees. The readiness workshops covered everything from training champion users and expert prompt engineers to developing unique use cases for Copilot. “Our employees needed sufficient practice to train their thought process on how best to employ Copilot effectively. We want to foster a culture of innovation and collaboration where individuals feel empowered to leverage AI to enhance their workflows and stay ahead of the rapid changes in the playing field,” explains Norhanifah A. Jalil, Chief Human Resources Officer at PNB.

Leveraging AI to save employee time

Since deployment, PNB’s employees have a tool that helps them streamline their workflows by eliminating redundant tasks and automating routine activities. “Their favorite feature is using Microsoft 365 Copilot to summarize meeting notes, confirm attendees, and send out minutes,” says Norhanifah. “With Copilot taking over these tedious tasks, employees have been liberated. They can devote their time and energy towards more strategic tasks that have a greater impact on their productivity and performance.”

With Copilot taking over these tedious tasks, employees have been liberated. They can devote their time and energy towards more strategic tasks that have a greater impact on their productivity and performance.

Norhanifah A. Jalil, Chief Human Resource Officer, PNB

In February, PNB also launched a SuperApp, which functions as an internal enterprise knowledge advisor specialized in human resources (HR) that assists employees across departments with frequently asked questions on internal policies. Built on Azure OpenAI Service and integrated with Microsoft Teams, the PNB SuperApp has been customized to ensure compliance with internal guidelines. The application is also linked to Microsoft Learn, which gives employees access to all necessary interactive training and troubleshooting practices that help ease the transition.

Since the PNB SuperApp uses natural language processing, employees can interact with the app easily and get faster, more accurate replies to their queries. “Previously, employees would either have to scan through multiple pages of the HR policy or email someone when they had a question. A simple task that could take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes,” explains Norhanifah. “Now it’s just a matter of making the query on the app and getting instant results.”

Finding new AI-driven solutions in fintech

The next phase of the SuperApp will be developed further to help with employee service requests. Currently, this process involves an employee filing a service request, which is resolved once an engineer is available to fix it—a process that often leads to unnecessary delays. “With the app, employees only need to connect to the Wi-Fi on their device, and the chatbot will run them through multiple options to fix the problem. Once it’s established it isn’t a software issue, it will raise a service request,” explains Norhanifah. “This will give employees a lot more autonomy and more individualized tech support while fixing the problem faster.”

PNB’s AI revolution will continue to address its more demanding core business needs. “With AI, we can collate vast volumes of data efficiently and easily uncover trends and patterns that elude traditional analysis methods. By using these insights, we can proactively mitigate any risks while anticipating the needs of our customers better,” says Mohd Irwan.

Ts. Izzat is confident that PNB is ready to lead the charge in using AI in the financial sector. “The possibilities are endless. We can use it to manage portfolios and make timely strategic decisions, automate trading with better results, and ensure compliance with regulations,” he says. “Our ultimate goal is to leverage AI to its fullest potential and drive innovative business solutions that create value across our organization.”