2026 FinTech Predictions: Insights from James Burnie FRSA, Partner, gunnercooke llp

James Burnie FRSA is a Partner at gunnercooke llp, a leading provider of legal, compliance and GTM services to FinTechs, hosting a premier global Web3 team.

In this interview, James shares his insights on the biggest shifts coming to financial services in 2026, the strategic interplay between blockchain and AI, and why emerging customer behaviours and quantum computing pose significant challenges (and opportunities) for banks and FinTechs alike.

My questions are in bold. Over to you James!

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

The biggest shift is a maturing of innovation. The last decade has seen the evolution of blockchain, automation and AI, and the resultant hype has led to the creation of a range of businesses many of which have been exploring new concepts with a high fail rate.

As the role of these new technologies has become more established and predictable, we are seeing more robust projects coming to market. This evolution has been slowed down in 2025, generally by a lack of funding, however we are beginning to see money circulate and if that momentum is maintained we can start to see once esoteric ideas become increasingly mainstream.

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

The biggest interplay we are likely to see is the role of blockchain vs AI. AI is a mechanism by which once expensive tasks can become cheaper. Whilst this enables savings, the downside of this can be a reduction of profit as the core rationale to use AI is often to cut cost and so there can be a race to the bottom. Blockchain conversely enables tokens, many of which create artificial scarcity in order to generate value.

For banks, the effect of this is twofold. From an operational perspective, AI is going to be interesting in terms of whether it can be used to cut costs. Crypto, on the other hand, is going to be interesting as a value driver and potential source of investment for banking customers.

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

We are seeing new generations have different attitudes to banking and investments than previously. Firstly, consumers are increasingly expecting a smooth UI experience, and this can be a struggle when trying to integrate with legacy systems that may be clunky. This has meant that ease of use for some users is sometimes prioritised over e.g. the security of the institution.

Secondly, we are seeing customers interested in new forms of and attitudes towards investment – be that a focus on ESG (for environmentalists) or DeFi (for those that wish to take risk to maximise return).

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

There are also two potential black swan events on the horizon. The first of these is the reaction of larger cryptoasset firms to a lack of banking options, being to either obtain their own deposit taking licence, or to use newly set-up banks which have a greater appetite to the industry. We are therefore seeing new banks entering into the market, and in addition we are seeing larger cryptoasset firms enabling customers to obtain yield in competition with the banks. The momentum in the room means that there is potential for new banking franchises to take substantial market share from banks that are unable to support the new industry.

The second potential black swan event is quantum computing. This is a new form of computing which has a much faster processing power that could potentially compromise the security currently in place at banks. We are seeing some banks putting in place defences against this, for example crystal-based security, which is harder to hack, however it is unknown the extent to which these will be effective.

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

A big focus is likely to be KYT (know-your-tech). As new technologies are developing at pace, it is more important than ever before to have a solid understanding of how the technology landscape is evolving.

As new innovations are coming into the market, it is important also to work out the key value drivers for clients of the bank, and to stay true to these. For example, should the core focus be on safety of investments and reducing cost, or should it be more on enabling risk taking for potentially higher rewards? Understanding the audience of the bank maximises the return on resources spent. Another question then becomes the most cost-effective way of providing the desired services to clients, and in this respect having the right strategic partnerships in place is going to be vital.

Thank you James!

Find him on LinkedIn here and the company website here: gunnercooke llp.