Our latest Finextra global survey report ‘Turning AI potential into advantage: How financial services institutions are scaling AI’, produced in association with Cloudera, is now available to download.
AI is no longer a future prospect, but a central driver of transformation in financial services; yet regulatory, security, and data governance challenges continue to slow adoption. The question for industry leaders has evolved from “Will AI impact my business?” to “How can AI deliver real value at scale?”.
Surveying 155 global industry leaders in August 2025, the report revealed key insights to help navigate this complex landscape, and how your organisation can lead the way.
The research highlighted not only the maturity of AI adoption, but also the strategic decisions around infrastructure and vendor partnerships that will define success in the years to come:
- An implementation gap exists: Nearly half of organisations are beyond AI experimentation but not fully integrated, compared to the 26% achieving enterprise-wide adoption.
- Data security is the top barrier to successful implementation: 97% report that data silos hinder effective AI model development — especially in large global firms. This structural issue confirms that no matter the scale of investment, AI cannot deliver on its promise without high-quality, integrated, and well-governed data.
- Hybrid AI as standard: 62% adopt hybrid AI, and 91% rate it ‘highly valuable’. Delays in adoption risks higher costs, vendor lock in, and competitive disadvantage.
- Security first: 84% consider a unified data governance and security framework across hybrid environments ‘critical’ or ‘very important’, while one in four rank security as the top factor when choosing AI vendors.
- Winning with AI: With 97% of organisations deploying at least one AI/ML use case, the challenge is now on where AI delivers the most impact, not just if it works. AI success depends on infrastructure choices, vendor partnerships, and robust governance — not just investment.
Gary Wright, managing director, Finextra Research commented: “For our members, the reality is clear: AI can only deliver its full potential when data sovereignty, privacy, and trust are guaranteed. Our survey results highlight both progress and gaps, underscoring that AI success will depend not just on the scale of investment, but on strategic decisions around infrastructure, vendor partnerships, and robust data governance. We are delighted to share these insights alongside our sponsor, Cloudera, to help our global members navigate this rapidly developing landscape.”
“The report confirms that a data-anywhere, hybrid strategy is non-negotiable. It also highlights that infrastructure alone isn't enough,” said Adrien Chenallier, global director AI solutions for financial services, Cloudera. “To truly bridge the implementation gap, financial institutions need a unified data and AI platform that ensures consistent governance and security across all environments. This is the only way to build trust, manage risk, and accelerate AI adoption at scale.”
Don’t miss the insights that global financial leaders are already using to shape their AI strategies.
The full report, including region specific takeaways and actionable recommendations, is available to download here.