Mexico Among the Leading Countries in the Application of AI to the Financial Sector, According to Research by Finastra

WHY THIS MATTERS: Financial services are moving past the pilot stage and entering the decisive era of operationalized AI, where the strategic implications are no longer theoretical but immediate and systemic. This global data confirms a massive capital commitment to AI, with major markets like the US and Mexico leading the charge in future investment. The real story, however, lies in the accompanying security paradox: while institutions globally are confident in their position, the aggressive acceleration of digital tools necessitates an equally aggressive focus on cyber resilience. The integration of artificial intelligence into core operations creates new surface areas for risk, transforming “trust” into a technology decision. Firms must now prove they can execute at speed while simultaneously adhering to principles of responsible AI, ensuring that security modernization—particularly in advanced threat detection and automated response—keeps pace with deployment. This report is a clear mandate for leaders to balance innovation with iron-clad operational integrity

Financial services has reached a decisive turning point in Artificial Intelligence (AI), according to a new global study by Finastra, a global leader in financial services software.

This 2026 report surveyed a total of 1,509 professionals (at management level or above) from financial institutions and banks in Mexico (116 respondents), France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. These financial institutions represent more than $100 trillion in assets, employ approximately five million people, and have around four hundred million customer/member relationships.

The study ranks Mexico among the top countries when asked how respondents expect their organization’s investment in AI to change over the next 12 months, with an average 44% increase. Globally, this is second to just the United States at 46%.

At the same time, the research also shows security rising rapidly up the agenda. Institutions in Mexico expect security investment to increase by an average of 43% in 2026, just north of the global average of 40%, reflecting growing digital risk, tighter regulatory scrutiny, and deeper reliance on technology across core operations.

The study highlights that the United Kingdom, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates agree on generating better insights (all at 42%), positioning AI as a partner in decision-making in complex, data-rich environments, while Mexico highlights customer experience and personalization (43%) as relevant issues, underscoring the importance of trust and personalized engagement in the country’s competitive retail banking landscape.

Security and Resilience Rise to the Top of the Agenda

As digital adoption accelerates, financial institutions are not only facing an increase in threats but also reevaluating their position relative to their competitors. The research shows a sector that is confident in relative terms but deeply concerned about the risks ahead. Globally, 72% of institutions believe they are ahead of their competitors in terms of security and reliability, while 7% admit to lagging behind and 20% fall somewhere in between.

In this context, the highest levels of planned investment in the security sector are concentrated in the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, and Hong Kong, where 90% or more are preparing to increase security spending over the next 12 months. Larger companies and those already “ahead” of their competitors are investing much more, underscoring how scale and preparedness determine resilience strategies.

Implementations and future priorities

Over the past year, institutions have focused on strengthening their basic defenses. Advanced fraud detection (48%) has been widely implemented, especially in Singapore (62%). The same has happened with the modernization of Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) (47%), with Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Saudi Arabia leading the way (all at 60%). In this area, Mexico lags behind with only 29%. These investments enable critical real-time threat monitoring and automated response.

In addition, identity verification has been strengthened through Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and biometrics (40%), with Singapore (54%) once again leading the way, while the United States is prioritizing backups, improvements in disaster recovery, and resilience testing (48%) compared to the global average of (40%), ensuring continuity in the event of any disruption.

When asked how they would rate their customer experience and personalization capabilities compared to their peer set, respondents in Mexico answered that 78% are ahead, only 21% are neither and 1% are behind, while in the United States, 73% are ahead, 20% are not ahead or behind, and 5% are behind.

Key findings for Mexico include:

• Regarding the approach to adding new technological capabilities: 53% of respondents said that everything/most of it is developed internally; 38% said it is a combination of internal development and collaboration with financial technology providers; and 8% said that everything/most of it is done in collaboration with fintech providers.
• Adoption and implementation of AI in your organization: What stage is your company at? Active implementation 65%; Pilot testing or research 34%.
• Preparedness for technological change: Prepared 95%; Not prepared 2%; and regarding Technological Modernization, Mexico is shown as Advanced 75%, Behind 2%, and not one or the other 23%.
• Security and reliability posture: Ahead 74%; Behind 2%; None of the above 24%
• IA adoption Status and implementation: Active implementation 65%; Pilot testing or research 33%; No plans to use IA 2%.

“Technology decisions now sit at the center of trust, resilience, and customer experience. Institutions are expected to move quickly, but also responsibly, as regulatory scrutiny increases, and customers demand financial services that work reliably, securely, and personally every time,” said Chris Walters, CEO at Finastra. “This year’s findings show a sector moving decisively beyond experimentation and into execution.”

He added: “We look forward to working closely with our customers as strategic partners as they navigate this new landscape with modern, secure and innovative software solutions.”

Access the full Finastra Financial Services State of the Nation 2026 report here.

 FF NEWS TAKE: Yes, this report moves the needle by confirming the industry’s move from AI exploration to execution. However, the data reveals a critical vulnerability: significant security implementation gaps exist in fast-moving regions like Mexico, despite high investment intent. The immediate future will be defined by the race to standardize core defensive measures, like SIEM and SOAR modernization, globally. Watch for mounting regulatory pressure on financial institutions to prove their technological preparedness and close this gap before their high-speed AI adoption exposes critical infrastructure to unmanaged risk

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