Although the global geopolitical landscape leading into 2025 makes the year’s financial trends difficult to predict, there are nevertheless a few emerging trends that look likely to shape the world of finance this year.
From AI, to cybersecurity, to interest rates, the industry is having to adapt at a more rapid pace than ever before. As a focus on digitalisation brings new potential, it also brings with it fresh challenges. As new regulations shape financial services in an attempt to keep up with the ever-evolving landscape, Remarkable take a look at the risks and opportunities that this could pose for your business.
The rapid development of AI has impacted the finance industry as much as it has impacted the rest of the world, and the sector is constantly looking for new ways to integrate AI for more streamlined services. It is therefore expected that, like many other sectors, AI will become the predominant focus for the financial services industry in 2025.
AI web crawlers and copilots are two tools that are predicted to revolutionise the financial services industry in the near future, boosting both customer service and business performance.
Customer service will be streamlined as copilots find and feed information either directly to the customer through an AI chatbot, or through a worker who can use to the tool to aid them in their response to customer enquiries or issues.
Copilots can also automate mundane tasks that would previously have been manual and time-consuming. This means that industry workers will have more time to spend on more valuable and complex tasks, streamlining work flows to make the business more efficient, and ultimately leading to a better overall customer experience.
Financial service providers could also benefit from the use of AI web crawlers in 2025, as they enable access to data that provides market insights and tracks industry shifts. This will allow businesses to stay ahead of their competition by making informed decisions based on real-time information, and together with AI copilots could predict future market trends.
Read more about the future of AI in finance and how it could help your business here.
Accessibility for financial service customers is also predicted to be a key focus of the industry in 2025, partly fuelled by the integration of AI. The spotlight that AI has put on the need for improved customer service has also brought the issue of accessibility to the forefront; when considering ways to make customer experience smoother, businesses need to consider all customers, including those living with a disability.
The European Accessibility Act becomes mandatory from 28th June 2025, and an important part of the EAA is making banking and personal finance more accessible to those living with a disability. This means that financial service providers in the EU will be required to adhere to individual member states’ accessibility laws, in order to make their digital spaces and services accessible to everyone. In the financial services industry, these rules apply to all banking services, ecommerce and ATMs. Therefore, accessibility is expected to be a strong trend in the financial services industry this year as businesses prepare to adhere to new EAA laws.
If you’re a financial service provider looking to see how you can make your services more accessible, you can sign up for a free accessibility audit here.
Although it’s hard to firmly predict interest rate trends, a broad look at market predictions shows a downwards direction for 2025 interest rates. In the UK, the Bank of England began cutting interest rates in 0.25% increments throughout the latter half of 2024, and has said it plans to continue to reduce rates in 2025. This is because interest rates were initially raised as a measure to tackle inflation, and now that inflation is going down, so too can interest rates.
This trend looks promising for those hoping to borrow money in 2025, provided inflation remains on the decline; however, a fall in interest rates after a sustained period of high rates means that customers will be looking for greater flexibility from banks, as they begin to change financial behaviours.
The challenge for banks and other financial service providers will be in adapting to new customer needs and behaviours. People are expected to want greater flexibility from providers as new interest rate trends emerge, so adaptability is key if providers want to keep or attract customers.
The Bank of England reviews its interest rates roughly every six weeks, meaning there is plenty of scope for change and therefore making interest rate predictions difficult; however, the overall outlook for 2025 is a positive one for customers, whilst providing ample opportunity for providers, if they can seize those opportunities.
Cybersecurity and data privacy is set to be one of the biggest issues of the year in the finance industry, as the shift towards digital and use of AI in the industry intensifies. Both financial theft and data breaches are becoming increasing concerns for financial service providers, and as AI-driven cyberattacks, digital banking, blockchain and more become integral parts of the finance industry, the challenges are only increasing.
Adopting new technologies and increasing digitalisation can help boost cyber security, but it also brings with it a multitude of new threats. Financial institutions hold more sensitive customer data than almost any other sector, meaning the stakes are far higher than in other industries. New and increasingly complex regulations are constantly being drawn up in an attempt to keep up with the rapid adoption of new technologies in the industry, and institutions must adapt quickly.
The use of AI copilots to detect fraud is developing rapidly. These copilots learn customer behaviours and patterns in their financial habits, and can pick up on irregularities in these behaviours to detect potential fraud and alert customers in real-time.
However, malicious use of AI is developing at an equally rapid pace, and cybercriminals are quickly learning to use these new technologies to their advantage. Not only are AI servers vulnerable to attacks themselves, but AI is being used to drive ransomware attacks, data breaches, and phishing schemes, as well as to impersonate employees or clients to trick financial institutions.
Although there are many threats to financial service providers’ cybersecurity, two of the most commonly occurring threats are ransomware and phishing.
Ransomware attacks are particularly effective against financial institutions, because the strict regulations that they must adhere to make them more likely to pay the ransom in order to protect their reputation. Ransomware attacks involve cybercriminals encrypting digital devices to lock victims out, and demanding ransom money for them to regain access. Defending against ransomware attacks means keeping threat intelligence teams aware of and on top of the most popular ransomware currently targeting financial systems.
Cyber security doesn’t just include sophisticated technological blocks to threats: it also involves educating staff and customers on how to spot scams, phishing and other threats to their own cyber security. Phishing is one of the primary threats to data security, and therefore it is in financial institutions’ best interest to make this information readily available.
The rise in data protection regulations means a hugely increased need for cyber security experts, however the demand for these experts far outweighs the supply. This skills gap is only intensifying, with a global shortage of 4 million cyber professionals now estimated by the World Economic Forum.
Without enough experts in the field, it is only a matter of time before the cyber security space inevitably falls short, and this issue will pose threats to every industry, including the financial services sector. It should therefore be expected that cyber security will be a key focus of the industry in 2025, as the turn to digital magnifies the need for these professionals in greater numbers.
It is likely that financial trends in 2025 will largely revolve around developing technologies and AI, and the threats and opportunities that they pose within the sector. Businesses will be concerned with harnessing the capabilities of these technologies, complying with new regulations, and protecting themselves from the increased risks that they bring; how they do this will define the financial trends of 2025.
Remarkable are one of the world’s leading digital experience agencies. As a double platinum Sitecore and Optimizely partner, we offer technology solutions to help brands build experiences that convert.