7 Digital Trends in Finance

Financial institutions are under pressure to deliver fast, personalized digital experiences without compromising security or compliance. Customer expectations keep rising, fintechs keep raising the bar, and AI is changing how both customers and marketers interact with financial brands.

This article explores eight top digital trends in the finance sector, including agentic AI, and how financial institutions can select the right technology to support their digital experience maturity growth.

1. Mobile Banking And Digital Payments

With the widespread adoption of smartphones, mobile banking has become a prominent trend in the finance sector. In the American Bankers Association's latest national survey from 2025, 54% of U.S. bank customers said mobile apps are their top way to manage their accounts, more than double the 26% recorded in 2017. For the first time, even baby boomers named mobile apps as their most-used method (38%). (ABA Banking Journal)

Customers expect the convenience of accessing their accounts, making transactions, and managing finances through mobile apps.

Digital payment solutions such as mobile wallets and contactless payments are also gaining popularity, especially with the rise of digital commerce, offering a convenient and secure way for customers to make purchases. Financial institutions must continue to invest in mobile-ready experiences to meet these expectations.

2. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies are transforming the finance sector. Finastra's 2026 survey of 1,509 financial services executives found that only 2% of institutions report no AI use, and six in ten improved their AI capabilities in the past year. (Finastra)

They are being used for fraud detection, risk assessment, customer service automation, and personalized recommendations. AI-powered chatbots are increasingly common in customer support, helping financial institutions provide faster and more accurate responses to customer queries.

3. Agentic AI

Agentic AI goes a step beyond generative AI. Instead of only answering prompts, AI agents plan and carry out multi-step tasks toward a goal, within limits that people set. The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance's 2026 global study found that 52% of financial services firms are already adopting agentic AI, and 81% expect it to be meaningfully achieved by 2030. Fintechs are moving faster than traditional institutions (57% versus 45%). (Cambridge Judge Business School)

In a regulated industry, the challenge is speed with control. The same study lists loss of human oversight among the top risks of AI. That makes governance, clear permissions, and audit trails essential for any agentic tool a financial institution adopts.

Agentic AI for financial marketing teams

Kentico launched the AIRA Agentic Marketing Suite in February 2026. It gives marketing teams a set of specialized AI agents built directly into Xperience by Kentico:

• Content Strategist reviews content against your brand's tone of voice, messaging, and style.
• Customer Journey Optimization Specialist finds drop-off points and recommends conversion improvements.
• SEO & GEO Specialist optimizes pages for both traditional search and AI-driven discovery.
• Campaign Manager turns campaign data into briefs, reports, and cross-campaign insights.

For financial institutions, the governance model matters as much as the agents. Every agent works within role-based permissions that admins define. All agent actions are logged and traceable. By default, a human must review and approve content edits or publishing before anything goes live.

4. Robotic and intelligent process automation

Robotic Process Automation focuses on automating repetitive and rules-based tasks using software robots. In the finance sector, RPA is widely used to streamline processes such as data entry, account reconciliation, and compliance reporting. Process automation is now the most common AI use case in financial services, at pilot stage or beyond for 79% of firms in the Cambridge study, and four of the top five use cases are back-office functions. (Cambridge Judge Business School)

By reducing manual effort and errors, RPA improves operational efficiency and allows teams to focus on more strategic initiatives.

5. Open Banking and API Integration

Open banking initiatives enable the secure sharing of customer data between financial institutions and authorized third-party providers. APIs play a critical role in facilitating this data exchange. In July 2026, Open Banking Limited reported that the UK has passed more than 1 billion open banking payments and 100 billion API calls since launch, with a record 2.81 billion API calls in June 2026 alone. (Open Banking Limited)

Through API integration, financial institutions can collaborate with fintech partners and support the development of innovative financial applications and services.

6. Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology

Blockchain technology is being explored for a range of financial applications, including secure transactions, cross-border payments, and smart contracts. Cornerstone Advisors found that 9% of U.S. banks plan to invest in or implement tokenized deposits in 2026, and 57% have discussed it at the board or executive level. For stablecoins, 71% of banks have held senior-level discussions. (The Financial Brand)

Its decentralized and immutable nature offers potential benefits in efficiency, security, and cost reduction across the finance sector.

7. Personalization And Customer Experience

Customers increasingly expect personalized experiences from financial institutions. In Finastra's 2026 survey, 38% of financial institutions said better service and more personalized experiences are their customers' top demand, and only 4% offer no personalized services at all. (Finastra)

Using data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, organizations can deliver tailored recommendations, targeted offers, and personalized communication. A strong focus on personalization helps enhance the customer experience and build long-term relationships.

Key Challenges Driving Digital Transformation In Finance

Rapid technological advancement continues to reshape the finance sector, requiring organizations to adapt to changing customer expectations. Financial institutions are investing in digital transformation initiatives to improve their digital banking platforms, enhance online financial services, and deliver seamless customer experiences.

At the same time, cybersecurity in financial services has become a top concern. Financial institutions are prime targets for cyber-attacks due to the sensitive customer data they manage, making data protection, regulatory compliance, and risk management critical priorities. Institutions in Finastra's survey expect security investment to rise by an average of 40% in 2026. (Finastra)

Customer expectations are also changing, driven by digital-native fintech companies offering customer-centric financial solutions. Combined with ongoing economic uncertainty, these pressures require financial institutions to remain agile, resilient, and focused on digital innovation.

Addressing these challenges requires continued investment in financial technology, digital infrastructure, and collaboration across the financial ecosystem.

How digital experience platforms support finance companies

A Digital Experience Platform supports financial institutions by enabling agility, automation, integration, and personalization across digital channels.

DXPs allow organizations to respond quickly to changing market conditions through flexible content management and modular development. Low-code and no-code tools support workflow automation, while integration capabilities enable the use of data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to improve digital banking experiences.

Built-in security and compliance features help protect sensitive customer data and support regulatory requirements in the financial services industry. Personalization capabilities enable financial institutions to deliver relevant, customer-focused digital experiences across web and mobile platforms.

DXP As A Core Technology For Financial Services

The finance sector continues to evolve as customer expectations rise and digital complexity increases. Like the experts say, financial institutions must balance innovation with security, compliance, and operational efficiency.

By using a Digital Experience Platform, financial organizations can support key digital trends in banking, deliver personalized and mobile-ready digital experiences, and remain agile in a rapidly changing digital finance landscape.

If you would like to learn more about how financial institutions are building trust through personalized digital experiences, check out our ebook, Build Trust in Finance: A 10-Step Guide.