Mambu Predicts Radical Rewriting of Banking by 2026
Intelligent automation, invisible payments, and youth-driven disruption are poised to reshape financial services, according to banking platform Mambu’s 2026 Predictions Report, as cloud-native and AI-powered models shift banking from reactive support to autonomous action.
Artificial intelligence is transitioning from a support tool to an autonomous operator embedded in the core of financial institutions. Amsterdam-based Mambu forecasts that agentic AI will increasingly initiate payments, assess liquidity, detect fraud, and enforce compliance without constant human intervention – fundamentally merging decision-making and execution.
Industry leaders argue that «intelligence will stop assisting and start acting» as banks adopt real-time, self-optimising systems designed to deliver measurable ROI and competitive differentiation, according to the report’s contributors.
Trust and Resilience Become Competitive Assets
With technology evolving faster than regulation, financial institutions are placing compliance, governance, and cybersecurity at the centre of innovation. Mambu highlights that trust is now «the most valuable currency in financial services», where resilience and risk controls must evolve in lockstep with digital transformation.
Investments are increasing in zero-trust architectures, biometric verification, and continuous threat monitoring as firms prepare for stricter oversight and heightened threat sophistication.
Ethics and Innovation Align Through Islamic Finance
The report views Islamic finance as a blueprint for transparent and principled banking, driven by tech-enabled Shari’ah compliance that is embedded directly into products and processes.
Real-time profit-sharing, governance automation, and values-led digital ecosystems are expected to make Islamic finance a scalable model with global appeal.
Cloud-Native Platforms Unlock New Growth Models
Legacy infrastructure remains a defining barrier to agility. Mambu notes a transformation where banks shift from owning every aspect of the value chain to orchestrating networks of fintechs and partners through composable architectures.
This modular approach enables new revenue models, faster product development, and operational cost reduction – positioning banks to compete with digital-native challengers.
Payments Disappear Into the Background
Payments are becoming instant, intelligent, and invisible as they embed seamlessly across digital commerce and everyday interactions. Real-time payments and the adoption of ISO 20022 are forecast to establish global standards, while API-driven infrastructure converts transactions into data-rich insights.
Mambu highlights that «payments simply happen» as embedded finance matures into a programmable economic layer.
Blockchain Moves From Experiment to Enterprise Scale
Tokenisation of assets, faster cross-border settlements, and programmable finance are bringing distributed ledgers into the mainstream. Mambu cites predictions that blockchain could add more than $360 billion in business value by 2026, driven by institutional adoption and regulatory clarity.
Stablecoins are expected to expand as regulated payment instruments, with banks positioned as custodians of digital value.
Digital-Native Generations Redefine Market Power
Gen Z and Gen Alpha now view finance as fluid, personalised, and values-driven. Their loyalty belongs to seamless experiences rather than traditional institutions, pushing banks toward composable offerings and real-time engagement.
Mambu warns that banks unable to meet their expectations risk irrelevance, as «survival means shifting from institution-led to member-driven engagement».
Leaders Will Innovate at the Speed of Expectation
The report underscores a decisive turning point for the industry: institutions that modernise their core architectures and embed intelligence throughout operations will define the next financial era. Those who delay risk widening performance gaps and erosion of relevance.
As Mambu puts it, confidence is becoming currency – and the race is on to build financial systems that are autonomous, inclusive, and seamlessly integrated into everyday life.
