2026 FinTech Predictions: Insights from Symmie Swil of Upvest

Introducing Symmie Swil, UK General Manager at Upvest, Europe's leading investment infrastructure provider.

As banks and fintechs prepare for a new generation of investors, Symmie shares her view on the technologies, customer behaviours, and strategic priorities that will define the competitive landscape in 2026.

Over to you Symmie - my questions are in bold:

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

2026 will be the year of the retail investor, so we'll see fintechs and financial institutions focus on expanding their investment offerings. There is clear appetite from the Government to boost retail investing and this will be picked up and run with by the banking market - in 2026 they will be vying to tap into this rising interest and keen to unlock the commercial benefits of a broader, more inclusive investor base.

Additionally, more banks and fintechs will move towards becoming 'all-in-one' providers - one-stop shops for services from current accounts to savings and investing. We'll therefore also see a trend of digital banks and fintechs expanding their scope of long-term products like Stocks and Shares ISAs and SIPPs to support investors with their long-term needs and build a loyal customer base.

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

Digital investment infrastructure is emerging as a critical technology for financial institutions looking to tap into a new generation of investors and to be able to deliver on the exciting promises of AI. Banks and fintechs that want to move fast, modernise their platforms, and expand their product offerings need solid, highly reliable digital infrastructure underpinning their investment platforms that can help them offer integrated, contextual, data-led financial services.

In order to be more than a gimmick, AI tools must be linked up to meaningful real-time data about customers, so they can deliver timely insights, and - most importantly -enable customers to action those insights easily. That's why we're seeing really strong demand for API-first, modular, investment infrastructure to help banks take advantage of the AI opportunity. With back-end functions taken care of, financial institutions can focus on the end-to-end customer experience and significantly reduce the costs and barriers to consumers investing.

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

Banks and financial services providers will face a generational opportunity to capture greater consumer interest in wealth building, but will have to win over many new consumers who still see investing as risky. So the challenge - and the goal - is to position investing as an opportunity to create long-term peace of mind, and this will be done by embedding investing into the everyday financial experience. Those institutions that can engage consumers about their finances holistically and offer them greater personalisation, transparency, and control of their financial futures will win the lion's share of new customers.

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

Corners of the industry will still underestimate how frustrating a clunky digital experience can be for a digitally native generation of customers. As the average profiles of savers and investors shifts younger and more tech-savvy, it will no longer be enough for institutions to rest on their laurels. Institutions that are slow to modernise their customer experience will lose out to fast-moving digital providers that offer modern and intuitive financial experiences to match the pace and ease of every other aspect of consumers' lives.

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

Banks should start directing more resources towards implementing scalable, cost-efficient digital infrastructure that can help customers feel comfortable and confident when it comes to investing. But they'll have to move fast, lest challenger banks steal a march. Banks must make sure they have the digital infrastructure in place quickly to capture this opportunity. D2C offerings that start with low or no minimums, affordable and transparent fees and support fractional trading and a combination of curated investing options plus a breadth of choice and easy personalisation remove the barriers for people to get started on their investment journeys and help them feel in control. Financial institutions that can understand their customers' goals and wider financial context are best placed to make investing feel seamless and intuitive.

Thank you Symmie! You can connect with Symmie on her LinkedIn Profile and find out more about the company at https://upvest.co.