Businesses expect to move quickly and they expect their financial institution to keep up. In a race for faster onboarding, smarter decisions, and real-time responses to risk, institutions are under pressure to get ahead while scaling in a constantly changing market.

Building off the latest findings from The 2026 Update to the Business Banking Digital Maturity Model, Alkami alongside industry partner Jim Marous and banking leaders from Tradition Capital Bank and SRP Federal Credit Union will unpack the defining characteristics of the most digitally mature financial institutions.

The research reveals a clear divide. Institutions pulling ahead are not only investing in new technology, but are aligning data, workflows, and decisioning across the moments that matter most, from digital account opening to fraud prevention to ongoing servicing. At the center of this shift is a critical enabler: clean, connected data that allows AI to move from experimentation to real execution. Leading institutions don’t stop there. They extend those data insights and AI capabilities to their operational teams; driving greater levels of efficiency and employee empowerment.

The research highlights three areas where the gap is widening:

Across all three, financial institutions that can unify data and apply AI with confidence are able to move faster, reduce friction, and act on opportunities in real time.