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How Tight Budgets and Global Tensions Are Strangling Future Fintech Innovation
Rising interest rates, inflation, and geopolitical instability are drying up fintech investment budgets just as innovation becomes more urgent. Financial institutions are caught between a need to modernize and a growing pressure to cut costs—leaving the future of transformative technology hanging in the balance.
May 20, 2025
Mark Norman
Mark Norman, Head of Content, Center for Financial Professionals
Tags: AI and Technology (including Fintech)
How Tight Budgets and Global Tensions Are Strangling Future Fintech Innovation
The views and opinions expressed in this content are those of the thought leader as an individual and are not attributed to CeFPro or any other organization
  • 56% of financial firms cite budget constraints as the biggest barrier to fintech adoption
  • Rising interest rates and geopolitical instability are compounding the financial strain
  • Regulatory pressures, such as the EU AI Act, are raising the cost of innovation
  • Only 19% of firms prioritize innovation over efficiency or compliance
  • Traditional and generative AI are seen as major future opportunities but face cautious uptake
  • Public sector AI investments won’t directly benefit individual institutions
  • Institutions that delay innovation risk being outpaced by fintech challengers
  • Risk-averse culture is suppressing breakthrough adoption in favor of safer options
  • Fintech success now requires reimagining compliance and infrastructure
  • Strategic innovation through adversity will define tomorrow’s winners
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