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Bankers are kicking off 2026 with fears of mounting stagflation in the U.S. and both a domestic and global recession looming, according to findings from new American Banker research.
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Top questions answered in the research
- What's the biggest threat to the banking industry in 2026?
- Just how likely do bankers think stagflation and/or a recession is in the U.S. across the coming months?
- How has confidence in the Federal Reserve changed under the Trump administration?
Key takeaways
- Close to 70% of bankers see opportunities and pitfalls with open banking technology.
- Most banks and credit unions feel prepared to weather new risks from deregulation.
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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