Insights & Banking-​Trends

The year 2025 was also challenging for banks. What can they expect in 2026? We discussed this with our experts Andreas Mach, Rainer Wilken and Stefan Baumann. The third and final part of our expert discussion ‘Banking 2026’ focuses on banking regulation, the digital euro, European payments and ESG.

| Part 2 | The year 2025 was also challenging for banks. What can they expect in 2026? We discussed this with our experts Andreas Mach, Rainer Wilken, and Stefan Baumann. In the second part of our three-part expert discussion “Banking 2026,” we discuss the skills shortage in banks, the changing corporate culture, and the continuing geopolitical volatility.

The EBA/CP/2025/21 consultation paper provides significant impetus for the further development of the banking supervisory framework and defines clear expectations for institutions of all sizes. It aims to achieve greater proportionality, more streamlined procedures and closer integration of key elements of the SREP. At the same time, an effective, cause-orientated assessment is moving more into focus. This requires financial institutions to take action. This article provides an initial orientation on the key content and the regulatory thrust.

The EU AI Act is the world’s first comprehensive regulation governing artificial intelligence (AI). With its risk-based approach, it aims to make AI safe, trustworthy and compliant. The 2025 regulation marks a turning point for the European AI landscape: what the EU AI Act has already changed, where challenges remain and what developments companies can expect in the coming years.