The future of banking

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.

| Part 1 | 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. This first part of our three-part series “Banking 2026” focuses on the challenges and opportunities for banks in 2026 and the role that artificial intelligence can play in this context.

The digital euro – the planned European Central Bank Digital Currency that is intended to make Europe’s payment transactions more secure, efficient, and future-proof – is gradually moving closer. We take a look at the current status and the next stages of the digital euro.

The article explores how cryptocurrencies and digital assets are reshaping global financial markets. Four key forces are driving the evolution of the digital asset landscape: regulation, institutionalization, technology, and client demand. Growing regulatory clarity and the emergence of harmonized legal frameworks are enabling banks and institutional investors to participate – from offering digital custody solutions to launching Bitcoin ETFs that have firmly integrated crypto into the financial mainstream. On the technology front, tokenization and next-generation blockchain infrastructures are delivering scalability, efficiency, and innovation through concepts such as the Commercial Bank Money Token (CBMT). Meanwhile, stablecoins are gaining strategic relevance as catalysts for real-time payments, FX optimization, and treasury transformation. The conclusion is evident: digital assets have outgrown their niche status and are becoming a foundational pillar of the global financial system.