Financial services marketers started 2025 in suspense, waiting to size up the effects of a new administration’s policies. They start 2026 still adapting to uncertainty, but trying to get ahead with an assist from technology.
“The range of possible scenarios for the U.S. economy in 2026 remains wide, with possibly yet another year of surprises for the U.S. banking industry,” according to a recent analysis of the financial sector by Deloitte. “Looking ahead to 2026, consumer sentiment could be further tested, dampening spending in a meaningful way” due to concerns about inflation, household debt and the unknowns tucked into the recent federal budget bill, according to the analysts.
Indeed, Americans are going into the holiday 2025 season and the coming year with big misgivings about their financial situation, according to a WalletHub survey. It found more than half of US households are struggling with debt and two in five say they expect their debts to increase in the next 12 months.
With that uninviting prospect, financial services marketers are focusing on counseling and shoring up their relationships with individuals. Hand-holding and showing up for consumers in relevant situations will be a top priority in 2026.
“For us at Citi it really is about focusing on those interactions with our clients,” said Angela Culver, CMO and managing director of services, global marketing at Citi.
Culver noted her line of business has a very strong in-person portfolio of services and her team hosts close to 200 events per year to connect with those clients. But additionally, digital channels such as podcasts will provide extra connection and communications, she said.
“We are really investing more in our digital approach,” she said. “We’re really looking to engage our clients, who are B2B clients, through a digital strategy.”
Balancing bots and humans
Digital tools and technology will provide a needed assist in 2026, as financial services organizations continue to adopt artificial intelligence tools to make operations more efficient and personalized. Looking ahead, more than 9 in 10 financial advisors believe AI will revolutionize investment management and client service, according to a recent Accenture survey, and they believe the biggest use for Gen-AI technology is to gain insights to better serve customers.
“Media fragmentation has become the new normal and now with AI transforming the consumer journey –how people discover, decide, and buy –breakthrough will come from brands that act with intention and relevancy at every touchpoint,” said Jennifer Brockington, executive director, marketing strategy, media & innovation at Ally Financial.
But financial marketers are still betting on human interaction in 2026, to balance the technological assist from AI.
“The rapid advancement of technology has led to AI playing a pivotal role in various aspects of consumers’ lives, fueling a trend towards self-help financial advice,” said Lynn Teo, chief marketing officer of Northwestern Mutual.
But Teo added that, even as consumers increasingly rely on AI, their doubts about the foundations underlying the Large Language Models (LLMs) that offer financial counsel are growing. Northwestern Mutual still relies on its advisors to help hesitant clients take action, by helping them reach informed financial decisions, she explained.
“As people feel increasingly overwhelmed and uncertain about their financial futures, the value of human financial advisors becomes more crucial,” she said.
Zeroing on Zoomers and small business
Many financial companies are increasingly targeting Generation Z, whose members are now entering their adult career-building years. They need to gain a foothold with the demographic, which now makes up more than one-fifth of the U.S. population. Zoomers born after 1997 make an attractive target, since they will stand to benefit from the greatest wealth transfer in U.S. history, $46 trillion in inherited assets that will change hands in the next 25 years.
“Gen Z is very important. It’s the only big opportunity for people entering the category in mass,” said Jill Cress, chief marketing and experience officer at H&R Block. “We really try to punch above our weight with them, because once you’ve picked a tax partner, you tend to stick with them.”
Block is relying on its army of thousands of tax advisors nationwide to demonstrate its expertise, especially in the face of the wholesale changes that will come from the new federal budget. When enacted, the “One Big Beautiful Bill” is expected to result in a raft of changes to the tax laws.
“We’re just trying to begin to figure out how we can be helpful,” said Cress. “We’re always scouring for what are the most commonly asked questions and working on providing content.” Block has built platforms to enable its 50,000 associates working during tax season to create and publish content. The company wants to encourage user-generated content from its tax experts “to really spread the news and build our credibility for consideration,” she said.
Additionally, the growth in the gig economy and small businesses will get more attention, she said. “We’re doing a lot for small business,” said Cress. “That is a really great priority for us.”
