The State of Retail Banking 2026: Four Pressure Points Defining the Decade

Retail banking is losing ground in four areas at once. Data shows most banks have not accurately diagnosed why.

Retail banking is under pressure from four directions at once. Deposits are leaving. Fee income is being squeezed by regulatory change. Consumers are spreading their financial lives across multiple providers, and the segments that will define the next decade, Gen Z and small businesses, are being won by someone else first. 

What makes this moment particularly difficult is that most banks are misreading what is driving it. 57% of banks believe customers stay because of a long-standing relationship. 55% of consumers say a great mobile app is the reason they chose their primary FI. That gap between what banks believe and what customers experience runs through all four pressure points, and it is where the real risk sits. 

What this eBook covers:

  • Where the gap between bank perception and customer experience is widest across revenue, trust, digital, and growth 
  • Which pressure points are interconnected and why addressing them individually will not be enough 
  • The questions retail banking leaders need to answer to respond effectively 
This eBook draws on Datos Insights’ Q2 2026 surveys of 100 retail banking executives and 3,500 consumers, along with a Q1 2026 survey of 1,014 small-business financial decision-makers, to offer a direct comparison between what banks believe is happening and what customers are experiencing.