9 Banking Trends for 2025 & How To Implement Them

We put together a list of industry and marketing trends to help you get ahead with your business strategy in 2025. Learn more about industry and marketing-specific banking trends below!

And, if you want to discuss digital marketing strategies for the banking or financial sector, call 888-601-5359 to chat with an expert!

Banking industry trends

First, we will look at the 2025 banking trends affecting the industry as a whole:

1. AI boosting efficiency and security
2. Sustainability and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) in banking
3. Banking as a service (BaaS) fintech providers
4. Digital-only banks are on the rise
5. Emphasis on consumer cash deposit accounts

1. AI boosting efficiency and security

The state of the banking industry (as well as the world) is changing rapidly with AI. AI in banking will become more important for improving internal security processes as well as customer-facing operations for banks.

Some example uses of AI in banking are:

• Customer service: Chatbots, automated responses, and personalized content all improve user experience (UX) while reducing manual workload.
• Risk management: AI programs can evaluate market and customer data to mitigate risky investments.
• Fraud detection: AI security programs can evaluate customer patterns and history to find fraudulent transactions.

These are just a few ways that banks are using AI in 2025. As AI progresses, companies will feel pressure to integrate these tools to keep up and offer the same benefits to their customers.

2. Sustainability and ESG in banking

More and more industries are moving toward sustainable practices, all while taking environment, society, and governance factors into account. The banking industry is no exception.

Some examples of ESG in banking include:

• Avoiding investments that could be harmful to the environment or local area
• Evaluating how banking processes affect climate change
• Prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in banking processes

The goal of ESG regulations in the banking industry is to pivot the way toward a more sustainable future.

3. BaaS fintech providers

BaaS is becoming more popular for financial companies. With BaaS, non-bank businesses can offer banking services by licensing with banks. That way, the non-banks can benefit their customers with more options, and the banks make a profit from the customer account.

For example, Chime offers digital banking services with benefits for customers like no-fee over-drafting and early access to payments:

However, Chime itself is not a bank. It’s a financial technology company that offers services through partner banks (Stride Bank and The Bancorp Bank).

More and more of these services will pop up to give customers more flexible options when it comes to financing.

4. Digital-only banks are on the rise

While brick-and-mortar banks aren’t going anywhere, 2025 sees a rising number of digital-only banks and banking services. These offer a customer-centric approach to banking that makes managing finances easy no matter where you are.

Some examples of digital-only banks include:

• SoFi
• Revolut

Now, in-person banking isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. However, it is important to note that digital banks can reach and serve a wider audience, making them more competitive against larger, enterprise banks.

5. Emphasis on consumer cash deposit accounts

Slow growth after COVID-19, high costs, and inflation are all pointing toward a recession, which affects banks’ profitability. With that in mind, banks are looking for more cash deposit accounts to give them more flexibility and cash on hand.

Banks are giving high-interest yields on deposit accounts to encourage high-value customers to hold cash in the bank. This gives the banks access to more funds to expand and invest in loans, mortgages, and other interest-based finance.

This banking trend reflects the unstable state of the banking industry at the moment, as economic factors can cause future harm if not regulated or reversed.

Banking marketing trends

Now that we have covered the state of the banking industry, we can dive into some ways to market in the current climate:

1. Personalized banking experiences
2. Customer retention strategies
3. AI-powered marketing automation
4. “Waste out” to “value in”

1. Personalized banking experiences

Personalization is the process of tailoring experiences, such as offers, content, recommendations and services, to a particular consumer. Personalization in the banking industry relies on customer data, usually first- or third-party.

With the challenging financial landscape, it’s more important than ever to reach clients on a personal level. Banks and other financial institutions know it, too — 86% of FIs stated that personalization is a clear, visible priority for the company and its digital strategy.

However, the path forward is not always clear. Here are some ideas for creating a personalized banking experience:

• Identifying primary audiences from your website and client base
• Connect with customers across multiple channels (phone, chatbots, email, etc.)
• Offer multiple banking methods (desktop and mobile) and make them accessible

2. Customer retention strategies

Consumers are struggling with high prices, inflation, and other economic pressures that leave them hesitant toward spending. It’s more challenging and costly to bring new customers on, which goes against the ideals many banking leaders have.

However, banks should focus on customer loyalty and reward it to retain relationships (and income). PNC, for example, rewards customers with points when they sign up and spend on their Visa credit card:

They can then cash in those points for different rewards:

They also offer this service for businesses, which better includes their entire market and encourages sign-ups for their services.

Depending on your institution, you might offer a similar program or find another way to reward loyal customers. And, by promoting these benefits, you can additionally target new customers who might be looking for a better banking system.

3. AI-powered marketing automation

AI is becoming more and more important in the banking industry, as we discussed above. However, it’s not just relevant to internal processes — you can also use it to make marketing easier for customer-facing tasks.

For example, marketing automation allows you to:

• Develop creative content and strategies to extend your marketing reach
• Sift through large amounts of customer data to look for patterns and trends
• Test different marketing tools, like pages or content
• Personalize communication with each customer

4. “Waste out” to “value in”

The final marketing trend is focusing on getting more from the waste your bank produces. The idea is to extract value from something that is considered waste.

For example, take AI. This tool can drive “waste out” by automating manual processes and freeing up time for your employees. It will also bring “value in” by allowing customer-facing employees to focus on important interactions with customers that drive more value inward.

Get ahead of banking industry trends with WebFX

The banking industry is unique and ever-changing. To help you get ahead of the curve, WebFX offers personalized digital marketing solutions aligned with your goals and industry trends.

With 64,350+ hours of experience in the finance industry, we know how to keep your plan fresh and competitive with changing industry trends. Our team of 164+ finance marketing experts can create custom, industry-focused marketing plans that earn you more revenue and influence in your market.

Want to see how we have helped clients in the past? View our case studies to see our data-backed results, and then contact us online to speak with a strategist!