C-suite barometer 2026: financial services sector highlights

• 78of financial services leaders are increasing investment in AI implementation, as well as in acquiring new customers
• 40have developed new capabilities or efficiences to manage tariff-driven costs
• 91plan to expand to at least one new country in the next five years

Our C‑suite barometer reveals that, when it comes to revenues, 95% of leaders in the sector have a positive growth outlook in 2026, even as revenue momentum softens and competition intensifies. This combination of ambition and pressure is reshaping the leadership agenda in significant ways.

Economic uncertainty (40%) and rising competition (31%) emerge persistently as the areas most likely to hold back potential growth, but leaders are not retreating. Instead, they are accelerating investment, leaning into transformation, and redefining what resilience looks like. In many ways, Financial Services is becoming a blueprint for how industries can evolve amid continuous disruption.

AI maturity is becoming a marker of leadership

For FS leaders, technology transformation is playing an increasingly foundational role in the way organisations operate and adapt. AI now sits as one core component in the centre of this broader transformational shift. More than three in five leaders say AI is already having a major impact and 85% have restructured teams to support AI implementation. The narrative has moved beyond automation – sector leaders increasingly view AI as a strategic enabler that strengthens forecasting, decision‑making and competitiveness.

Notably, AI’s impact on talent strategies is now net‑additive. While workforce change is inevitable, 55% of leaders say AI is creating new roles, signalling an evolution toward more specialised, insight‑driven teams. One aspect that shouldn’t be ignored is the ethical concerns that remain present, cited by two‑thirds of leaders for the second year, but confidence in responsible AI adoption is growing steadily – a welcome reassurance and guide for others.  

A sector expanding with intention

Despite geopolitical uncertainty and tariff‑driven disruption, Financial Services leaders continues to think globally. Over 90% of organisations have active international expansion plans, targeting major markets such as China, Canada, the US, France and Germany. Leaders remain confident in their ability to manage rising costs and regulatory complexity, with nine in ten expressing confidence in navigating tariff-related pressures. This global momentum reflects a leadership mindset oriented not around risk avoidance, but around agile, opportunity‑led growth.

Investment with long‑term intent

Organisations in this sector are increasing investment across the board. We see 73% are boosting financial investment, and 74% are increasing human capital investment, which is a powerful indication that this is a sector building for the future. In 2026, the most successful FS organisations will be those that combine technology‑led transformation with human‑centric leadership – an approach that pairs bold innovation with trust, transparency and clear strategic direction.

What this means for leadership in 2026

The forces shaping the industry (economic volatility, regulatory intensity, AI disruption and geopolitical shifts) are not easing but sector leaders are doing something powerful. They are choosing to grow anyway. They are choosing to invest. They are choosing to transform, despite uncertainty.

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