UBS to require AI skills for graduate hires starting 2027

UBS will require applicants to its Global Banking and Markets graduate and intern programs to demonstrate AI skills in interviews starting in 2027. Santander is reportedly seeking similarly advanced AI users, and Morgan Stanley has predicted more than 200,000 banking jobs in Europe could disappear within five years.

Why it matters: A major bank formally gating hiring on AI proficiency signals that AI fluency is shifting from a nice-to-have to a baseline job requirement in finance, much as spreadsheet literacy did decades ago. Paired with Morgan Stanley's headcount forecast, it suggests banks expect AI to reshape entry-level finance roles specifically, not just automate back-office tasks.