A Banner Year for Banks--and the Moment to Shift Gears on Growth, AI, and Innovation
PR Newswire
BOSTON, June 8, 2026
BCG report finds that financial institutions delivered record shareholder returns in 2025; and for the first time in years, more than 80% of global bank equity is trading above book valueHowever, financial institutions still rank very low in price-to-earnings multiples. Closing that gap and sustaining value creation will require the industry to revise its approach. Acting from a position of strength, institutions have earned the right to invest boldly in AI, growth, and active portfolio reshapingFinancial institutions plan to invest 2% of revenue in AI this year. When placed at the center of strategy and deployed at scale, such investment yields significant productivity uplift across banking domainsAlthough the threat to disintermediate banks' customer relationships that AI agents pose has never been stronger, banks have a window to respond with their own agentic propositions to engage customers, leveraging the trust they have earned over decadesFinancial institutions have stronger M&A momentum than any other sector globally. Conditions for portfolio reshaping are the most favorable in over a decadeThe best opportunities for innovation lie at the intersection of three structural forces: AI, nonbank financial institutions, and digital assetsBOSTON, June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Financial institutions had a banner year in 2025, outperforming every other industry including information technology. In addition, a majority of global bank equity now trades above book value. This recovery is genuine and durable, built on improved profitability, disciplined cost management, and strengthened balance sheets.
