Robotic automation can unleash reimagination

Robotic process automation is spreading across banking and financial services. The origins of automation extend back to 1745, when English blacksmith Edmund Lee patented the rotating fantail that keeps a windmill's sails pointed into the wind. The first completely automated industrial process emerged toward the end of the 1700s, when American inventor Oliver Evans developed the automatic flour mill. Fast-forward to the 2000s and the era of Digital Disruption 2.0: The world today is experiencing the impact of another monumental breakthrough – the emergence of robotic process automation (RPA). RPA uses software to automate repetitive processes that humans would otherwise do, freeing these people for higher value work.