The Excellence in Retail Finance Global Rankings 2026

This edition presents the global best rankings of retail banks, digital-only banks and financial platforms at a time when the industry is adjusting to a more demanding operating environment.

Digital banks are entering a more structured phase after years of rapid expansion. While headline growth has moderated from the early surges, profitability is improving as institutions focus on monetising existing users, strengthening customer retention and expanding product offerings across lending, wealth management and insurance.

Across the wider industry, retail banks are navigating slowing interest rate cycles, rising cost pressures, intensifying digital competition and shifting customer expectations. In response, many are strengthening retail deposit bases, investing in digital infrastructure to automate processes and expanding fee income through payments, cards and wealth products. Artificial intelligence is also playing a growing role in improving operational efficiency and credit decision-making.

Meanwhile, financial platforms continue to record strong growth in users, transaction volumes and revenue, driven by multi-service ecosystems, expanding partnerships and sustained digital adoption.

Against this backdrop, the issue examines the rise of intelligent banking at scale, as artificial intelligence, large-scale data infrastructure and machine learning move from experimentation into the operational core of banking after more than a decade of digital transformation. In CEO Insights, Tan Su Shan of DBS Group discusses banking resilience built on customer focus and currency diversification rather than credit growth, following a year of falling interest benchmarks that did not support traditional balance sheet expansion.