Why this is important: Financial services has moved beyond the pilot stage and into a decisive era of operationalizing AI. The strategic impact there is no longer theoretical, but immediate and systemic. This global data supports huge capital injections into AI, with key markets such as the US and Mexico leading future investments. But the real story lies in the security paradox that comes with it. While institutions around the world are confident of their position, the aggressive acceleration of digital tools requires an equally aggressive focus. cyber resilience. Integrating artificial intelligence into core operations creates new risk surfaces and transforms “trust” into technology decisions. Companies now need to demonstrate that they can execute quickly while adhering to the following principles: Responsible AIensuring security is modernized as deployments occur, especially in advanced threat detection and automated response. This report is a clear mandate for leaders to balance innovation with ironclad operational integrity.
Financial services have reached a decisive tipping point in artificial intelligence (AI), a new global study has found. finastraa global leader in financial services software.
This 2026 report Survey of 1,509 financial institution and banking professionals (managers and above) Mexico (116 respondents), France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam. These financial institutions have over $100 trillion in assets, approximately 5 million employees, and approximately 400 million customer/member relationships.
In the survey, when respondents were asked how they expect their organizations’ AI investments to change over the next 12 months, Mexico ranked among the top countries, with an average increase of 44%. Globally, this is second only to the United States at 46%.
At the same time, research also shows that Security quickly rises to the agenda. Mexican agencies expect security investments to increase by an average of 43% in 2026, slightly above the global average of 40%, reflecting increased digital risks, increased regulatory oversight, and deepening reliance on technology across core operations.
The study highlights that the UK, US and UAE agree (42% each) that it generates better insights, positioning AI as a partner for decision-making in complex, data-rich environments. Mexico They highlighted customer experience and personalization (43%) as a relevant issue, underscoring the importance of trust and personalized engagement in the country’s competitive retail banking environment.
Security and resilience emerge as top priorities
As digital adoption accelerates, financial institutions not only face increased threats, but also a reassessment of their position relative to their competitors. The survey reveals that the sector is relatively confident, but very concerned about the risks ahead. Globally, 72% of institutions believe they are outperforming their competitors in terms of security and reliability, while 7% admit they are lagging behind and 20% are somewhere in between.
In this context, the highest level of investment plans in the security sector are concentrated in the United Arab Emirates. Mexicoin Hong Kong, more than 90% are preparing to increase security spending in the next 12 months. Larger companies and those already “ahead” of their competitors are investing even more, highlighting how scale and preparedness determine resilience strategies.
Implementation and future priorities
Over the past year, agencies have focused on strengthening basic defenses. Advanced fraud detection (48%) is particularly widely deployed in Singapore (62%). The same thing happened with modernizing security information and event management (SIEM) and security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) (47%), with Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Saudi Arabia (all 60%) leading the way. In this region, mexico is behind It was only 29%. These investments will enable critical real-time threat monitoring and automated response.
Additionally, identity verification is strengthened through multi-factor authentication (MFA) and biometrics (40%), with Singapore (54%) once again leading the way. Meanwhile, the United States prioritizes backups, improved disaster recovery, and resiliency testing (48%) to ensure continuity in the event of a disaster, compared to the global average (40%).
When asked how they would rate their company’s customer experience and personalization capabilities compared to their peers, Mexican respondents said 78% said they were ahead, only 21% said they were neutral, and 1% were behind, compared to 73% in the U.S. who said they were ahead, 20% were neither ahead nor behind, and 5% were behind.
Main findings Mexico include:
- Regarding our approach to adding new technical features: 53% of respondents said all or most of their software was developed in-house. 38% said it was a combination of in-house development and collaboration with financial technology providers. and 8% said all or most of this was done in collaboration with a fintech provider.
- Adopting and implementing AI within your organization: What stage is your company at? 65% active adoption rate. Pilot testing or research 34%.
- Preparing for technological change: 95% ready. 2% not ready. and regarding that technology modernizationMexico is listed as 75% developed and 2% less developed, making it 23% rather than one or the other.
- Security and reliability posture: 74% ahead. 2% behind. None of the above 24%
- IA adoption status and implementation: Active adoption rate 65%. Pilot testing or research 33%. There are no plans to use IA 2%.
“Technology decisions are now at the heart of reliability, resiliency, and customer experience. Increasing regulatory oversight and customers demanding financial services that work reliably, securely, and personally at all times require institutions to act quickly and responsibly.” Chris Walters, CEO of Finastra, said:. “This year’s findings demonstrate that the field is decisively moving beyond experimentation and toward implementation.”
He added: “We look forward to working closely with our customers as a strategic partner as they navigate this new landscape with modern, secure and innovative software solutions.”
Access the full Finastra Financial Services 2026 State of the Nation Report here.
FF news take: Yes, this report supports the industry’s shift away from AI and is a game-changer. expedition to execution. However, this data reveals significant vulnerabilities. In a rapidly changing region like Mexico, large gaps exist in security implementation despite strong investment appetite. The immediate future will be defined by the race to standardize core defenses globally, such as modernizing SIEM and SOAR. Be aware of the increasing regulatory pressure on financial institutions to demonstrate your technological readiness and close this gap before high-speed AI deployments expose your critical infrastructure to unmanageable risks.
