VFG Consulting Cofounder Speaks with Banking Exchange About Technology

Guzman Furtado, Cofounder of VFG talks about technology, 2026, and how they are working with one of the largest financial Institutions in the world. 

1. What are the challenges facing financial institutions when it comes to technology and infrastructure?

Financial institutions face several structural challenges:

• Legacy systems that slow innovation
  Many banks still run core systems built decades ago, making digital transformation costly and complex.
• Rising cybersecurity risks
  Threat vectors evolve faster than legacy controls. Financial institutions need zero-trust architecture, cloud hardening, and real-time detection. Areas where VFG’s InfraChannel and UruDevOps verticals specialize.
• Increasing regulatory pressure (DORA, GDPR, ESG, operational resilience)
  Modernization must happen within strict compliance frameworks. Technology, governance, and risk now move together.
• Digital consumer expectations
  Customers demand instant, personalized digital services, requiring high-availability infrastructure and modern development practices. Supported by VFG Consulting and UruDevOps.
• Talent scarcity
  Hiring AI, cloud, and cybersecurity specialists is increasingly difficult. VFG acts as an integrated, on-demand extension of internal teams.

2. How is AI impacting business today, and what will its impact be by 2026—especially in financial institutions?

AI Today (2025)

AI already automates repetitive processes, enhances customer experience, analyzes data at scale, and accelerates software development.

By 2026

AI will transition from “innovation projects” to mission-critical infrastructure:

• AI copilots embedded into daily workflows
• Predictive risk and fraud detection
• Automated compliance monitoring
• Hyper-personalized customer recommendations
• AI-driven cloud optimization

Impact on financial institutions

1. Operational Efficiency
   AI will automate claims, reconciliation, document workflows, and KYC/AML processes.
2. Risk & Compliance
   Intelligent models will continuously monitor transactions, liquidity, fraud patterns, and policy breaches.
3. Customer Experience
   Conversational AI and real-time personalization will redefine digital banking.

At VFG, our AI vertical ReplaceIT focuses on deploying secure, compliant AI solutions for regulated industries.

3. Allianz seems like one of VFG Group’s key clients. How did VFG end up working with Allianz, and can you walk us through some of the solutions you’ve implemented?

Our relationship with Allianz Global Investors (AGI) began when the company launched a major initiative to adopt AI and modernize cloud and infrastructure capabilities.

Winning AGI’s First AI Bid

Last year, AGI released its first global AI bid, and VFG Group was selected as the winner — competing against several of the biggest and most established players in the industry.

This win was a strong validation of VFG’s technical expertise, multi-vertical approach, and ability to operate at enterprise scale with security and regulatory rigor.

Why VFG won

• Our integrated model across AI, Cloud, Infrastructure, Development, and Salesforce
• The quality and seniority of our engineering talent
• Our ability to work as an extension of AGI’s internal global tech teams
• Strong alignment with AGI’s operational resilience and modernization roadmap

Solutions implemented across the five verticals

• ReplaceIT — AI:
  LLM-powered assistants, internal automation tools, and AI models supporting risk, insights, and operational efficiency.
• UruDevOps — Cloud:
  Modern cloud governance frameworks, IaC, CI/CD pipelines, cost optimization, and Azure enterprise configurations.
• InfraChannel — Infrastructure & Cybersecurity:
  Security hardening, vulnerability management, zero-trust strategies, and monitoring uplift.
• VFG Consulting — Development:
  Custom software, process automation, and integrations that streamline internal operations.
• VFGforce — Salesforce:
  CRM enhancements, automation of workflows, and improved internal sales/support processes.

This partnership continues to expand as AGI advances its digital and AI strategy globally.

4. Many readers are in the U.S. What makes VFG unique, and what would you say to a banking executive hesitant to work with a company without a U.S. presence?

What makes VFG unique

• A multi-vertical, end-to-end capabilities group (AI + Cloud + Infra + Dev + Salesforce).
• Deep experience with global financial institutions.
• Stable, secure, and regulation-aligned operations based in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.
• Top-tier talent with competitive rates, aligned with U.S. time zones.
• A “boutique yet global” delivery model. Clients work directly with senior leadership.

What we tell U.S. banking executives

We understand the concern, but we offer:

• Time-zone proximity (1–2 hours difference with U.S. East Coast).
• Strong data protection frameworks in our home markets.
• Proven compliance and delivery excellence through our work with Allianz.
• Cost-effective, high-seniority engineering teams outperforming typical offshore models.

The experience with VFG is not that of an outsourced vendor, it's like adding a specialized internal team with immediate impact.

5. What unique solutions can VFG offer that go beyond traditional competitors?

1. Enterprise-grade AI with regulatory alignment
   We don’t just prototype; we deploy AI safely into production environments with proper governance.
2. Real DevOps + Cloud excellence
   Our UruDevOps vertical specializes in reliable, secure cloud architectures with automation at every layer.
3. Cybersecurity-driven infrastructure
   InfraChannel provides advance threat modeling, penetration testing, zero-trust design, and resilient architectures.
4. Multi-stack software + Salesforce automation
   Unified systems that improve customer experience, back-office efficiency, and operational workflows.
5. High-level engagement and flexibility
   Clients work directly with founders and senior teams. No bureaucracy, fast decision-making.
6. Global capability with competitive economics
   World-class engineering talent from South America, at cost structures that enable faster scaling and innovation.

To Contact Guzman Furtado:
Guzmán Furtado CEO
[email protected]
www.vfg-group.com