2026 FinTech Predictions: Insights from Brett Sievwright of Platcorp

I spoke with Brett Sievwright, CEO of Platcorp, about the transformative role of AI in financial services and why sustainable growth trumps innovation for innovation's sake. Brett shares his perspective on how outcome-based metrics and robust governance frameworks will define competitive advantage in the year ahead.

Over to you Brett - my questions are in bold:

What's the biggest shift you expect across financial services in 2026?

One of the biggest changes we're seeing across every industry is the increased implementation of AI - and fintech is no different. As AI use becomes more sophisticated and its technology evolves, it offers ever-expanding opportunities to fintech.

But AI should never be implemented for its own sake. Generative AI, for instance, can suffer from a data traceability issue and variations in the way a model is constructed can lead to different responses to the same question. This is a problem in any industry, but it is especially disastrous within finance, as it can lead to bad financial decisions that have a long-lasting impact. AI is transformative for our industry, but fintechs need to be adopting it wisely, with a focus on safety and reliability.

Which emerging technology will have the most practical impact on banks and the FinTechs that support them?

When applied carefully, however, AI can have an immediate practical impact on the services banks and fintechs offer and on the lives of their customers.

For instance, in its ability to increase product personalisation and automate processes such as underwriting, credit scoring and loan processing, AI not only allows businesses to bring down the cost of serving each consumer, but enables them to accurately assess borrowers based on real financial behaviour, not traditional, outdated metrics. This means borrowers who lack a credit history, formal ID, or regular payslip are no longer cut off from crucial financial services and can gain access to vital loans that could radically improve their lives and have a ripple effect across communities.

Banks and fintechs benefit too. AI allows them to increase their customer base without increasing risk or sacrificing safety. AI solutions are able to measure the social and financial outcomes of lending, and run real-time fraud and compliance checks, so responsible and ethical lending standards can still be met.

What customer behaviours or expectations will most challenge banks and financial service providers?

One of the biggest challenges for banks and financial services providers is the gap between how customers actually behave and how these institutions assume they behave. Many financial services providers create products and services around an imagined "average customer", which means they are creating a product for a single set of needs and circumstances. In reality, customer needs and expectations are much more diverse than this, and should be treated as such.

Banks can no longer solely rely on assumptions and must start to monitor how customer demographics and needs are changing, whilst keeping a laser focus on service outcomes. And this is where outcome-based metrics are extremely important. These metrics highlight where services are falling short, where exclusion might occur and where offerings need to be refined to better support all customers.

The financial institutions that succeed will only approach product development after they have equipped themselves with the data they need to make sure their services are changing lives, rather than unintentionally excluding customers.

What risks or blind spots do you think the industry is underestimating as we move into 2026?

Many fintechs fall into the trap of innovating for innovation's sake, but the fintechs that come out on top in 2026 will be those that build for the long-term, rather than for short-term growth or quick wins. This is especially true for African fintechs, with a recent report revealing that investors are prioritising sectors and business models that are mature, resilient, and most importantly, built to last.

The fintech landscape has evolved massively, and it's no longer about disruptors and shiny new apps - it's about building strong foundations through robust governance, regulatory readiness and technology that can scale with your business.

A major blindspot is the tendency to prioritise speed over sustainable growth. In 2026, fintechs need to leave behind rapid trading expansion and instead prioritise long-term resilience and building a business that can grow steadily, earn customer trust and deliver real value for years to come.

If you were advising a bank's leadership team today, what strategic priority should they focus on to stay competitive in 2026 and beyond?

My advice would be to stop treating governance as an afterthought and start seeing it as a platform for growth.

Many banks seem to chafe under the idea of governance, viewing it as a tickbox exercise to keep regulators off their backs. This is the wrong approach. Not only does waiting for rules to be imposed put banks on the wrong foot when it comes to compliance, but a robust governance framework is essential to their success. It allows them to hold stability in volatile markets, build resilience, enable confidence in capital flows, increase investor trust, and protect consumers. These factors are all vital in establishing the longevity of their enterprise and enabling them to stay competitive in 2026 and beyond.

Thank you Brett! You can connect with Brett on his LinkedIn Profile and find out more about the company at www.platcorpgroup.com.