Fintech firm Broadridge has released its 2026 digital transformation and next-gen technology study. Now in its sixth edition, the annual publication finds that this year, the industry has arrived at a “pivotal moment” in AI usage. Firms have moved beyond experimentation with GenAI and are looking towards scaling; the technology is becoming foundational in day-to-day operations.
The global study is based on a survey involving 947 representatives in financial services technology and operations, covering various segments of the industry from wealth management to capital markets.
Machine intelligence
80% of respondents revealed that they are using generative or predictive AI in operations, a significant jump from 31% last year. AI has also surpassed cloud as the next-generation technology that is delivering the biggest business impact, with GenAI and agentic AI together gathering 36% of votes, compared to cloud’s 21%. In 2025, cloud technology garnered 31% of votes while GenAI scored only 11% – agentic AI was not presented as an option last year.
The growth in confidence in AI is directly reflected in numbers – 72% of firms reported making “moderate to large” investments in GenAI. Concern about the return on investment (ROI) for GenAI is at 33%, compared to 42% last year.
A structural evolution
53% of firms now believe that DLT will “dramatically change” the way assets are settled, compared to 44% in 2025. This indicates an industry-wide conviction that tokenisation is a structural evolution of market infrastructure, and not just a near-term replacement for existing systems. In fact, the survey reveals that 54% of firms are making “moderate to large” investments in tokenisation and digital asset infrastructure, moving the technology beyond exploration and towards scaled build-out.
Respondents expect that many major asset classes, including equities, mutual funds, and alternatives, will be tokenised in the next four to five years. 84% believe that a unified platform that brings together front-, middle-, and back-office systems will become important. 70% cited external partnerships as “critical” to capturing value as tokenised market infrastructure develops, highlighting the need for ecosystem collaboration.
Pros and cons
Firms acknowledged the benefits of tokenisation, including liquidity, improved operational efficiency, and faster settlement, but are not blind to risks brought on by regulatory uncertainty, interoperability challenges, cyber security, and market structure fragmentation. 64% of respondents cite cyber security risks as a concern.
Whether it is AI or tokenisation, the main barrier to progress is in the ability to execute. 37% of respondents have observed a lack of skilled talent in agentic AI adoption, while the number is at 38% for GenAI. For 61% of firms, AI training is “encouraged” but has no formal targets, while 65% of firms have no formal mandate or incentives in place to use AI at all.
