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Milan, February 25, 2026 – In a context marked by geopolitical instability, cyber threats, and growing regulatory pressure, Italian financial institutions are focusing their priorities on regulatory compliance, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. This is what emerges from the Cetif Trends 2026 study, which constantly monitors the opinions and considerations of 160 CxOs, i.e., executives responsible for functions at leading Italian banks and insurance companies.
The aim of the research is to interpret how advanced technologies and organizational transformations impact the redefinition of operating models, governance, and competitiveness. Using an index (scale 0-1), the survey analyzes the impact,readiness, and investments in ten key technological areas.
The 2026 edition classifies trends into two macro-areas:
- Endogenous factors that aim to build distinctive competitive advantages and include: AI Digital Workforce, AI-powered Strategic Insights, Optichannel Experience, Agentic Automation, and Hyper-personalized Offering.
- Exogenous factors, i.e., those influenced by the market and regulations, are elements that define the operating context and include: Regulatory Evolution, Cyber Resilience, Journey to Cloud, Sustainable Finance Open Finance .
Compliance and security as priorities
In addition to regulatory developments with a score of 0.98, cyber resilience continues to be a trend with a very high impact perceived by all C-level executives in the market, with an average score of 0.92 out of 1.00. In a context characterized by increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and geopolitical tensions, the protection of critical assets and data is no longer just a technical issue, but an essential strategic lever for stakeholder confidence.
Artificial Intelligence as a Driver of Value
AI has now entered the business world and is transforming decision-making and organizational models. In particular, there are two areas that stand out for having a very high impact, on a par with cybersecurity (0.92):
• AI-powered Strategic Insights: advanced predictive models that enable you to interpret the complexity of the context and anticipate emerging needs.
• AI Digital Workforce: a new synergy between human skills and algorithmic capabilities that promotes more agile and data-driven organizations. Added to these is Agentic Automation (0.91), where autonomous systems collaborate in complex operational flows, improving scalability and execution speed.
The Paradox of Hyper-Personalization
Although hyper-personalized offerings are considered essential to maintaining a high level of competitiveness, only 14% of respondents believe that their bank is "extremely effective" in offering relevant contextual experiences. To bridge this gap, 68% of banks plan to increase their investment in personalization technologies by 2026.
Banks vs Insurance Companies: Divergent Strategies
Although both sectors agree on the need for regulatory evolution and security, their approaches are distinct:
• Banks are more ready and prepared (Readiness) to use AI for strategic insights and in managing the digital workforce.
• Insurance companies are accelerating investments in agent automation and hyper-personalized offerings, focusing on more consultative relationship models.
The Gap Between Business and Operations
A significant structural factor concerns the internal discrepancy within institutions: Operations departments Operations systematically higher levels of readiness and investment than departments more involved in the front end of the business, confirming their role as the real driving force behind technology adoption, especially in the field of AI.
Investment forecasts for 2026
The financial sector is responding to challenges with a structural and widespread increase in digital investments. The pillars that will benefit from the most marked growth are cyber resilience, compliance, and advanced AI applications, areas in which institutions aim to consolidate their operational resilience and decision-making agility.
"Financial institutions today are called upon to make decisive strategic choices to govern emerging digital trends, guiding investments, operating models, and skills," The ability to integrate advanced technologies, strengthen resilience, and anticipate customer needs is now an essential lever for maintaining competitiveness and ensuring continuity and growth in the long termdel Sacro Cuore said Federico Rajola, Director Cetif Full Professordel Sacro Cuore Università Cattolica Università del Sacro Cuore