94% of French financial institutions use or plan to use AI and are now focusing on operational deployments, according to a Finastra study

Paris, France – February 10, 2026 – The financial services industry in France has moved on from the artificial intelligence (AI) debate and is now focused on execution, according to new global research from Finastra, a global leader in financial services software. 94% of financial institutions are using or plan to use artificial intelligence in some form, demonstrating a clear shift focused on delivery.

The Finastra Financial Services State of the Nation 2026 report finds that 57% of respondent in France are actively deploying AI and a further 28% are seeing scaled deployment across multiple functions. Four in 10 French financial institutions are implementing AI to increase processing speed in payments and lending, and 92% have either deployed, piloted, or plan to launch AI for risk management and fraud detection. This signals widespread need for speed with crucial processes in place to mitigate risk.

The research also shows security rising rapidly up the agenda. French institutions expect security investment to increase by an average of almost 38% in 2026, reflecting growing digital risk, tighter regulatory scrutiny, and deeper reliance on technology across core operations.

The research surveyed senior professionals at financial institutions and banks across France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the UAE, UK, the U.S. and Vietnam.

Key findings include:

• Operational use cases lead – French financial institutions are deploying technology where it delivers immediate operational value, such as in document processing (48%), fraud detection (40%), and customer support (41%), rather than focusing primarily on experimental initiatives.
• Customer experience is built on security and transparency – French institutions pursue customer experience through reliability and trust, with personalization layered on top, not the other way around. Security and privacy is the top personalization priority of customers at 32%, followed by transparency at 30%. At the same time, many personalized services are already widespread, such as chatbots (45%) and real-time payments (44%).
• French banks are modernizing, but with tight constraints – A total of 83% of respondents are expecting an increase in modernization investment this year. Legacy complexity (43%), regulation (37%), and budget constraints (40%) are all challenges affecting technology modernization in region, however, strategic upgrades remain a priority aligned with the need to scale AI, strengthen resilience, and deliver a reliable customer experience. Cloud adoption underpins these modernization priorities, with nearly 8 in 10 (77%) of respondents reporting they utilize cloud solutions in some form, reflecting its role in lowering costs, increasing scalability, and enabling personalization, compliance, and faster innovation.
• Industry confidence remains strong - Despite disruption, optimism is high. 86% of French respondents expressed high levels of optimism about the opportunities ahead at a personal level, while 80% are optimistic about the outlook for their institutions as technology and operating models continue to evolve.

“Technology decisions now sit at the center of trust, resilience, and customer experience. Institutions are expected to move quickly, but also responsibly, as regulatory scrutiny increases, and customers demand financial services that work reliably, securely, and personally every time,” said Chris Walters, CEO at Finastra. “This year’s findings show a sector moving decisively beyond experimentation and into execution.”

He added: “We look forward to working closely with our customers as strategic partners as they navigate this new landscape with modern, secure and innovative software solutions.”

Access the full Finastra Financial Services State of the Nation 2026 report here.

Notes to editors

Survey methodology

• A total of 1,509 managers and executives from banks and financial institutions across 11 regions participated in the survey (including France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the UAE, UK, the U.S. and Vietnam). Collectively, the organizations represented manage over $100 trillion in assets, equivalent to approximately a quarter of global financial assets based on public estimates. These organizations employ around 5 million staff and serve approximately 400 million client, customer, or member relationships.
• Figures are based on respondent-reported data; percentages may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding and multiple-choice questions.
• The research was conducted by Savanta via an online panel (November 2025).

For further information please contact:

James McKenna
Senior PR Manager
T +1 845-546-2745
E james.mckenna@finastra.com
finastra.com

About Finastra

Finastra is a global leader in financial services software, trusted by 8,000+ customers - including 45 of the world’s top 50 banks - in over 130 countries. With expertise in Lending, Payments, Universal Banking, and Treasury & Capital Markets, we deliver reliable, scalable, mission-critical solutions such as Loan IQ, LaserPro, Trade Innovation, Essence, Global PAYplus, Payments To Go, and Financial Messaging. Backed by Vista Equity Partners, we co-innovate with customers to build modern technology that helps financial institutions grow with confidence. Visit www.finastra.com or follow Finastra on LinkedIn.