In the closing months of 2025, a Bloomberg survey of over 300 senior decision-makers from across Europe's financial services industry underscored a defining shift in the sector's strategic outlook: artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer an aspirational add-on but a commercial imperative that financial institutions must grasp if they are to remain competitive and relevant.

At the heart of Bloomberg's findings is the reality that three-quarters of European finance leaders now believe their firms risk significant loss of market share or even obsolescence without effective AI deployment. Four in ten respondents already report measurable business benefits from AI initiatives, reflecting early real-world returns on investment in areas such as data processing, customer service automation and operational efficiencies.

This sense of urgency is rooted in powerful commercial pressure. Only a tiny minority, around 6%, view AI as overhyped or less deserving of priority, indicating broad consensus on its strategic importance rather than scepticism or indifference. Survey participants were drawn from a mix of buy-side and sell-side firms across major European financial centres, including London, Frankfurt, Milan, Luxembourg and Madrid, providing a wide snapshot of attitudes across the industry.

Beyond broad adoption metrics, the survey paints a nuanced picture of how different leaders expect AI to reshape core functions over the coming years. Nearly half of those surveyed (46%) anticipate that "agentic AI", systems capable of autonomous reasoning and task execution, will drive incremental automation over the next three years.

Meanwhile, about 37% foresee far-reaching transformation in workflows and decision-making, suggesting a significant evolution in how financial professionals interact with data and technology.

Yet this excitement is tempered by pragmatism.

A notable proportion of respondents describe their firms as moving with the industry rather than leading it, a cautious optimism that reflects the complexity and risk inherent in scaling AI across regulated, high-stakes environments such as banking and asset management.

One respondent encapsulated this duality, stating that financial institutions clearly see AI as both "a strategic necessity and a competitive differentiator", but success will hinge not just on speed of adoption, but on how effectively AI deployment is governed, controlled and integrated into core operations.

These insights come at a time when the European financial sector is grappling not only with technological disruption but with broader economic and regulatory challenges. As firms push deeper into AI, questions around governance, model risk and ethical use are rising, a dynamic that will define the pace and shape of innovation in 2026 and beyond.

The Bloomberg survey reflects a broader industry transition: AI has moved from the periphery of finance strategy into the heart of competitive planning. Institutions that navigate this transition successfully, combining measured risk management with bold experimentation, are likely to secure the operational efficiencies and client-centric innovations that define the next chapter of European finance.

Further information: https://fintech.global/2026/01/02/bloomberg-survey-shows-ai-adoption-pressure-reshaping-european-finance/

This article represents the views of the author and not necessarily those of ICC.