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As 2025 draws to a close, banking and credit union executives are crystallizing their predictions for regulatory shifts, market downturns, credit-quality changes and more. New research from American Banker finds that not all predictions are upbeat.
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Top questions answered in the research
- What legislative changes on the horizon are most likely to occur, and will they help or hurt bankers?
- Which changes in market factors stand to hit financial institutions the hardest?
- How likely is it that subprime credit portfolios decline more than prime portfolios in 2026, and what are the risks associated with the trend?
Key takeaways
- Subprime credit portfolio deterioration is a high possibility, and will create risks for banks and credit unions.
- An economic downturn is the top concern for bankers heading into 2026.
This five-part series dives into the data using interactive charts broken out into these main themes: forecasting economic changes in the coming year, policy predictions and concerns, emerging technology trends, M&A competition within the financial services space, and fraud and cybersecurity.
- Part one:
Bankers forecast 2026 upheaval in cybersecurity, regulations - Part two:
Bankers fear economic struggle in 2026 - Part three:
Fraud will remain a top problem for banks in 2026, but AI could help - Part four:
Cybersecurity, fraud attacks may cause systemic risk in 2026 - Part five:
Bankers wary of nonbank payment rivals in 2026
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