World Cloud Report – Financial Services 2026

Unlock large-scale growth with cloud-powered AI agents

The financial services (FS) industry is on the verge of a remarkable transformation. Cloud platforms now do far more than support infrastructure: they help orchestrate innovation. And when paired with AI agents – autonomous systems that can reason, learn, and act – financial institutions can rethink how they operate, innovate, and engage with customers.

While most firms across the industry have adopted some version of AI, agentic AI in FS is still nascent – with only 10% of organizations implementing AI agents at scale. Continuing adoption is crucial to future success: cloud-based AI agents can help unlock new business opportunities by driving efficiency, enabling next-gen operating models, delivering improved customer experiences, streamlining product development, and expanding access to underserved markets.

The World Cloud Report – Financial Services 2026 draws on learnings from two primary sources. We polled 1,100 leaders of FS firms across seven sectors – retail banking, wealth management, payments, capital markets, P&C insurance, life insurance, and health insurance – spanning 14 markets in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. The report also includes insights from more than 40 focused interviews with cloud leaders from banks, insurance companies, and hyperscalers around the globe.

In today’s rapidly evolving digital economy, the integration of cloud modernization and AI in FS has become a competitive differentiator. To capture new business and revenue growth, Capgemini’s World Cloud Report – Financial Services 2026 recommends that industry players lean into the following three strategies:

• Move from offshoring to cloud shoring to allow for location-agnostic, continuous delivery and increased focus on smarter, more resilient, and socially responsible services.
• Harmonize human expertise with intelligent agents to create a blended “cyborg workforce” where humans are augmented with appropriate technical capabilities – including across key frontline processes and client services.
• Leverage cloud-based AI agents to drive intelligent automation and greater CX personalization, by expanding offerings and speeding up delivery.

FS firms that can quickly build a strategic roadmap aligning business goals and operations, governance, and culture with these evolving technologies – and then continue to innovate over time – will be well positioned for continuing success.