Financial Services Forecast

Financial Services in 2026

Here is how leading financial institutions are turning insights into confident strategic decisions.

While 2025 winds down, forward-thinking financial services leaders are already preparing for what lies ahead.

Our team at SIS International Research works closely with financial institutions worldwide to identify emerging opportunities and address strategic challenges. We would like to share some key insights about what is driving change in your industry.

Success in 2026 will depend on understanding the shifts happening across banking, insurance, and wealth management, and knowing how to act on them.

Financial Services: Expanding Rapidly, Yet Facing Real Uncertainties

The global financial services sector is expected to reach $36.13 trillion in 2025, climbing toward $47.55 trillion by 2029. Growth is solid and consistent.

But here is what makes this moment particularly interesting: recent surveys of financial services executives reveal that 72% consider their organizations highly exposed to economic volatility, while similar percentages worry about technological disruption and regulatory changes.

Even more notable, roughly three-quarters acknowledge that most of their current revenue sources may not be sustainable over the next decade.

For more than four decades, SIS International Research has partnered with financial organizations to develop research strategies that drive tangible results, whether you are in retail banking, commercial lending, insurance, or asset management.

What is Reshaping Financial Services Research Right Now
Let us explore five trends we are seeing across the industry and how they are influencing research priorities:

1. The AI Trust Gap
   Consumer research shows that even in markets with high technology adoption like the U.S. and Hong Kong, approximately 80% of banking customers express concerns about AI implementations.

✔️ Why this matters for research: We are helping clients test how to communicate AI benefits, identify which customer segments are most receptive, and determine which AI applications resonate most strongly.

2. Digital-First Banks Gaining Serious Ground
   In the U.S., the share of consumers using neobanks as their main banking relationship jumped from 4.6% in 2022 to 8.7% in 2024.

✔️ Why this matters for research: Traditional institutions need to understand why customers are switching and what would keep them loyal. Meanwhile, digital banks need insights on scaling sustainably.

3. Mobile Banking as the New Normal
   With 77% of U.S. households now using mobile banking monthly, digital channels are not optional; they are the primary way most customers interact with their financial institutions.

✔️ Why this matters for research: We help clients understand which features drive engagement versus which create friction, how personalization impacts loyalty, and where experience gaps exist compared to competitors.

4. Finance Embedded Everywhere
   Financial services are appearing in unexpected places: retail checkout flows, healthcare platforms, travel booking sites.

✔️ Why this matters for research: We help organizations evaluate partnership opportunities, test customer receptivity to embedded offerings, and understand how these channels affect traditional distribution models.

5. Security Concerns Remain Front and Center
   Industry analysts estimate that AI-powered fraud detection could help insurers address up to $160 billion in annual fraud losses, yet security anxieties persist as a major barrier to digital adoption.

✔️ Why this matters for research: Through targeted research, we help institutions understand which security measures actually build confidence, how to communicate protections effectively, and what concerns different customer segments prioritize most.

What Financial Services Leaders Are Asking From Research Partners

Based on our conversations with clients across the sector, priorities are shifting:

Speed with substance: Quick turnarounds that still deliver deep, reliable insights
Strategic clarity: Not just what the data says, but what it means for your business
Measurable impact: Research that connects directly to business outcomes
Flexible methodologies: The right mix of quantitative rigor and qualitative depth for each question
We tailor our methods to your specific challenge, not the other way around.

Let Us Talk About Your 2026 Priorities

The financial services environment in 2026 will reward organizations that act on solid intelligence rather than assumptions