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A Banner Year for Banks–and the Moment to Shift Gears on Growth, AI, and Innovation

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BCG report finds that financial institutions delivered record shareholder returns in 2025; and for the first time in years, more than 80% of global bank equity is trading above book valueHowever, financial institutions still rank very low in price-to-earnings multiples. Closing that gap and sustaining value creation will require the industry to revise its approach. Acting from a position of strength, institutions have earned the right to invest boldly in AI, growth, and active portfolio reshapingFinancial institutions plan to invest 2% of revenue in AI this year. When placed at the center of strategy and deployed at scale, such investment yields significant productivity uplift across banking domainsAlthough the threat to disintermediate banks’ customer relationships that AI agents pose has never been stronger, banks have a window to respond with their own agentic propositions to engage customers, leveraging the trust they have earned over decadesFinancial institutions have stronger M&A momentum than any other sector globally. Conditions for portfolio reshaping are the most favorable in over a decadeThe best opportunities for innovation lie at the intersection of three structural forces: AI, nonbank financial institutions, and digital assets

BOSTON, June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Financial institutions had a banner year in 2025, outperforming every other industry including information technology. In addition, a majority of global bank equity now trades above book value. This recovery is genuine and durable, built on improved profitability, disciplined cost management, and strengthened balance sheets.

Having earned the right to act decisively from a position of strength, institutions now have the opportunity to deal with a persistent issue: price-to-earnings multiples have remained largely unchanged. Sustaining strong returns will require improving multiples, building on outsized growth, and developing a business model that is less reliant on the balance sheet—not merely defending existing profitability.

These are among the findings of Time to Shift Gears? Financial Institutions Have Earned the Right to Be Bolder on Productivity, Growth, and Innovation, a new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) released today. Drawing on BCG’s proprietary analysis of 1,498 financial institutions globally, the report examines how the sector can build on its strongest performance since the global financial crisis to create durable long-term value.

For the first time in many years, 80% of global bank equity (excluding China) trades above book value, giving institutions the mandate and the financial firepower to act boldly. The report warns, however, that if institutions default to returning capital through buybacks and dividends rather than reinvesting in scalable growth, they risk ceding ground to faster-moving competitors.

“Financial institutions have had an exceptional year, but the market is telling them something important: past performance is not enough,” said Saurabh Tripathi, global leader of the Financial Institutions practice at BCG and a coauthor of the report. “The P/E discount reflects genuine investor scepticism about whether banks can deliver sustained, compounding growth. Institutions that act now to redesign their operating models, redeploy capital into growth, and build AI into their strategic core have a real opportunity to close that gap. Those that don’t will find that it widens.”

The Productivity Paradox and How AI Is Breaking It

Despite years of significant technology investment, operating expenses relative to assets have shown only marginal improvement across most global banking markets, and financial industry headcount has grown at approximately 2% annually over the past three years. Digitization has layered technology onto existing processes rather than fundamentally reimagining them.

AI will change the rules of the game. New players have demonstrated outsized growth on the back of a truly scalable operating model. AI offers every institution the opportunity to get there. The report notes that winners are deploying AI at enterprise scale rather than running isolated AI pilots. Results across credit underwriting, wealth management, engineering, and operations are already material. Financial institutions plan to invest 2% of revenue in AI this year, with only the tech industry spending more. But targeting a genuine operating and business model redesign will be critical.

“The productivity problem in banking is structural, not cyclical, and incremental digitization has not solved it,” said Andreas Biffar, a managing director and partner at BCG and a coauthor of the report. “The institutions that are pulling ahead are rebuilding how they operate from the ground up, with AI at the center. The gains are already measurable, and the gap between leaders and laggards is widening faster than was anticipated one or two years ago.”

Bold Growth Requires a Clear View of Disruption

For institutions trading above book value, investing and targeting scalable growth is now the primary value lever. AI is expanding the addressable market in ways that were not previously economical, opening new opportunities in wealth management, lending, and other fee-based opportunities. At the same time, disciplined M&A, backed by the strongest conditions for portfolio reshaping in a decade, offers a complementary route to step-change value creation.

As the report warns, realizing these opportunities requires navigating a landscape that is shifting structurally. Nonbank financial institutions continue to strengthen their position across global revenue pools, digital assets are scaling rapidly toward mainstream financial infrastructure, and AI itself is compressing margins even as it enables growth. The institutions best situated to win are those that position themselves at the intersection of these forces, rather than simply defending against them.

Bold Ambition Demands Bold Execution

Capturing this opportunity demands more than strategy. It requires a fundamental redesign of how institutions are structured and run. The report’s final chapter sets out what such a redesign looks like in practice: concentrating investment on a small number of high-impact AI bets chosen with rigorous discipline, building five foundational enablers—technology, data, risk and compliance, operating model, and talent—at enterprise scale rather than piecemeal, and ensuring the CEO personally owns the transformation rather than merely sponsoring it. The contours of the intelligent financial institution are already visible in early movers. The window to build toward it is open now, but it will not stay open indefinitely.

Download the publication here:

https://www.bcg.com/publications/2026/future-of-finance-2026-time-to-shift-gears

Media contact:
Bruce Wraight
wraight.bruce@bcg.com

About Boston Consulting Group

Boston Consulting Group bridges the gap between ambition and outcomes for the world’s leading companies and organizations. We are built for this era of unprecedented change — bringing strategic clarity rooted in over 60 years of deep domain knowledge, combined with applied AI shaped by our practitioners. BCG works shoulder-to-shoulder with CEOs across industries and geographies to deliver transformative impact at scale: stronger returns, transferred capabilities, and change that sticks. For more information, visit bcg.com.

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SOURCE Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

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New ProEssentials v11: Native WinUI Charting Library, 100M Points in 15ms, Following Microsoft’s Vision for True Native Swap-Chain Rendering

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30 years of evolution in native C++ rendering that bypasses the managed XAML layer entirely and renders straight on the GPU via Direct3D compute shaders, in native x64 and ARM64, ready for Microsoft’s Windows on Arm and Copilot+ PCs. A fresh pass of 100M new data points renders to screen in ~65ms. The same engine powers WinUI, WPF, WinForms, MFC, and C++ from one codebase, with .NET 10 — built for real-time scientific, engineering, and financial data.

DALLAS, July 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Gigasoft has released ProEssentials v11, bringing its 30-year native C++ charting engine to WinUI. Every other WinUI chart today renders through managed XAML — ProEssentials renders directly to a Direct3D composition swap chain, the native path Microsoft built WinUI around. The result: 100 million data points re-rendered in roughly 15ms, a fully fresh 100M-point frame on screen in about 65ms.

v11 also ships a native ARM64 engine, ProEssentials runs native on Microsoft’s Windows on Arm and Copilot+ PCs. .NET 10 arrives across the WinUI, WPF, and WinForms interfaces, with Direct3D compute shaders doing the heavy lifting on every architecture. A side-by-side native WinUI chart performance comparison against the major vendors is published on gigasoft.com.

The engine underneath is the same native C++ core Gigasoft has refined since 1993 — deliberately kept native behind a thin .NET wrapper, never rewritten in managed code. One engine drives WinUI, WPF, WinForms, MFC, and C++, so a chart moves between frameworks by changing the control type, not the charting code. Don’t take the numbers on faith — clone the open-source 100M-point WinUI demo and benchmark it on your own hardware.

“ProEssentials is the undisputed heavyweight of Windows desktop charting. Version 11 brings its three-decade native C++ engine to WinUI 3, native ARM64, and .NET 10. We’re proud to ship the world’s first charting component to faithfully deliver on Microsoft’s goal for WinUI as the modern, native, performant interface — presenting directly through a composition swap chain instead of a managed XAML layer,” said Robert Dede, founder of Gigasoft.

ProEssentials is not only for shipping products. It is the tool engineers reach for on their own side projects — R&D experiments, rapid prototypes, proof-of-concept demos, test-and-measurement utilities, internal data analysis, and the one-off tools engineering firms are always building. Any company serious about engineering will find countless uses for it, and with v11’s AI charting code assistance many of those ideas become working applications in a few hours. Licensing is perpetual and royalty-free, generous for multi-developer teams — worth putting in front of your CTO, CIO, and Chief AI Officer. A no-hassle evaluation download is available at gigasoft.com.

Contact:
Robert Dede, BSEE, Founder
Gigasoft, Inc.
***@gigasoft.com

Photo(s):
https://www.prlog.org/13152577

Press release distributed by PRLog

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SOURCE Gigasoft, Inc.

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Global Times: Here Come China’s ‘next new three’: AI, robotics and innovative drugs spearhead a new round of industrial upgrading

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BEIJING, July 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — From four-legged inspection robots operating in European nuclear power plants to automatic coffee-making robotic arms serving travelers at airports and transit hubs around the globe and smart AI systems supporting local Chinese teaching in Thai schools, these varied overseas applications offer a vivid snapshot of how China’s “next new three” industries are expanding globally.

Labeled the “next new three,” AI, robotics and innovative drugs represent China’s new core strategic industries and fresh economic growth engines. Their rise marks a major upgrade in China’s industrial and export model. More importantly, this industrial shift is delivering open, inclusive and innovative solutions to support global industrial upgrading and shared development, experts said.

From ‘old three’ to ‘next new three’ 

For decades, China established its global manufacturing foothold by leveraging its labor-cost advantages, with apparel, furniture and home appliances becoming the iconic “old three” of Chinese exports.

In recent years, the export portfolio has undergone a remarkable green and tech transformation. Electric vehicles (EVs), lithium batteries and photovoltaic products, known as the “new three,” have become the backbone of China’s export growth.

Recent industry data demonstrates the strong growth potential of the “next new three” tech sectors: AI, robotics and innovative drugs.

Statistics from global AI platform OpenRouter show that domestic large models registered 36.11 trillion token calls in the week of July 13 to 19, a month-on-month increase of 30.93 percent, with growth sustained for eight straight weeks, according to the People’s Daily.

In the first half of the year, the country’s robotics exports reached 6.29 billion yuan ($929 million), covering 141 countries and regions with the exports of high-end surgical robots recording a striking 3.3-fold year-on-year increase. 

Meanwhile, China’s innovative pharmaceutical sector has gained strong global influence, with outbound technology licensing transactions hitting $110 billion in the first six months of the year. Chinese pharmaceutical companies accounted for eight of the world’s top 10 pharmaceutical licensing deals.

Wang Peng, a research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday that the rise of the “next new three” represents China’s industrial shift from exporting manufacturing capacity to exporting high-end innovation.

Competition now centers on original research, core underlying technologies and related services rather than production volume and costs, Wang said.

He noted that these industries help Chinese businesses move up the value chain from assembly processing to research and development, technical services and standard-setting, strengthening China’s position in global industrial chains. 

Mirroring this trend, from January to May this year, China’s total services trade volume rose 6 percent year-on-year, while the services trade deficit narrowed by around 20 percent. Exports of knowledge-intensive services surged 12.2 percent, highlighting the continuous improvement of China’s services export competitiveness and the optimized structure of foreign trade, according to the People’s Daily.

While the “new three” underpin China’s foreign trade fundamentals, the “next new three” seize the commanding heights of future industries. Jointly, they shore up China’s long-term economic competitiveness and inject sustained impetus into high-quality growth, Wang said.

Inclusive technological progress

China’s high-quality exports of products and services have contributed to more inclusive technological progress to the global market, reflecting Chinese enterprises’ core strengths in independent technological research, business model innovation and the ability to integrate global resources, as well as China’s commitment to driving global development and benefiting humanity through technological openness.

Chinese startup DEEP Robotics told the Global Times that its quadruped robot intelligent inspection solution has been officially deployed at Switzerland’s Leibstadt Nuclear Power Plant, the largest and highest-output nuclear facility in the European country, providing a Chinese solution for the digital and intelligent upgrading of nuclear power operations and maintenance across Europe.

The quadruped robot can replace human workers to access high-risk areas, perform precise operations and conduct high-frequency regular autonomous inspections 24/7, fundamentally cutting safety risks for on-site maintenance staff. It can also move flexibly through narrow corridors and gaps between dense equipment, covering all key inspection points and significantly reducing monitoring blind spots that traditional inspection devices cannot reach, the firm said.

Chinese robotic firm DoBot told the Global Times that in the commercial services sector, coffee robots equipped with its Nova series collaborative robotic arms have been operating stably in more than 20 types of venues including airports, high-speed railway stations and shopping malls globally, with a track record of producing hundreds of thousands of cups without reported malfunctions.

Overseas landmark applications include unattended Coca-Cola beverage stations along the Mediterranean coast, mobile coffee kiosks in the United Arab Emirates that serve a drink within 45 seconds, and self-operated food trucks deployed in shopping malls in Singapore, the company said.

Chinese AI company iFLYTEK said that its AI-powered intelligent teaching system has helped expand Chinese language learning worldwide and supported the digital development of Chinese education in overseas markets. 

Since a Thai middle school adopted iFLYTEK’s AI-powered intelligent Chinese teaching system in 2025, the technology has acted as a supplementary teaching solution amid growing local demand for Chinese learning and a shortage of qualified language instructors. It has greatly expanded students’ practice opportunities: On average, learners now speak Chinese 12 times per session, compared with only twice in regular classes, Xie Fei, director of iFLYTEK’s Global Chinese Learning Platform, said on Sunday.

From industrial robots to boost production efficiency for local factories to AI algorithms that improve local smart ecosystems, China’s “next new three” allow countries at all development levels to access benefits from advanced technologies and narrow the global digital divide, Wang said.

By building a sound global industrial network and rolling out customized technology solutions tailored to local conditions, these technological exports help recipient countries nurture their own industrial capacities and climb up the value chain to move higher up the industrial value chain. In the long run, such efforts will drive the global industrial system toward greater diversification and more balanced development, Wang noted.

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SOURCE Global Times

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KuCoin Marks Ninth Anniversary at Tomorrowland Belgium, Honoring Nine Years of Industry Progress Beyond the Signal

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PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands, July 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On the day of its ninth anniversary, KuCoin welcomed global partners, institutional clients, ecosystem builders and media representatives to the “On Cloud 9 Skybox Experience,” an exclusive celebration at the Tomorrowland Belgium Skybox. Overlooking Tomorrowland’s iconic Mainstage, guests gathered throughout an unforgettable evening as world-renowned artists including Nicky Romero, Alok, Steve Angello and Hardwell delivered performances that brought together people from around the world. Against this backdrop of music, culture and global connection, KuCoin celebrated not only its own nine-year journey, but also the remarkable progress the digital asset industry has achieved together.

The experience formed part of KuCoin’s broader ninth-anniversary campaign, “Beyond the Signal,” reflecting the company’s belief that the industry’s future will be shaped not by short-term market movements alone, but by the trust, innovation and infrastructure that enable lasting progress. Bringing this vision to life in an elevated festival setting, the evening offered guests an opportunity to reflect on nine years of shared growth, collaboration and resilience, while looking ahead together to the next chapter of digital assets.

Against the backdrop of Tomorrowland’s iconic Mainstage, the exclusive Skybox experience with signature champagne rituals brought KuCoin and its guests together to reflect on and celebrate the milestones that have shaped its nine-year journey. From expanding access to digital assets and navigating multiple market cycles to strengthening security and compliance, supporting institutional participation, and advancing innovation across payments, AI and Web3, these milestones also reflected the broader evolution of the digital asset industry toward greater maturity.

The moment celebrated not only how far KuCoin has come, but also the progress the industry has made together. Over the past nine years, markets have risen and fallen, and technologies have continued to evolve. Yet lasting progress has always been driven by the builders, developers, partners and communities working together to create enduring value. That is the idea behind Beyond the Signal.

“Ninth anniversaries are often measured in years. We prefer to measure ours in trust,” said BC Wong, CEO of KuCoin. “The greatest achievement of the past nine years has not been our growth alone, but the confidence our users, partners and community have continued to place in us. Trust is the infrastructure that enables innovation, adoption and long-term progress. As we enter our next decade, we remain committed to building secure, compliant and trusted digital asset infrastructure together with our partners worldwide.”

The celebration also highlighted KuCoin’s expanding partnership with Tomorrowland as the festival’s Exclusive Crypto Exchange and Payments Partner for Tomorrowland Winter and Tomorrowland Belgium 2026–2028. Bringing together one of the world’s most influential cultural events with trusted digital infrastructure, the partnership reflects a shared vision of connecting people across borders and creating meaningful real-world experiences through technology, payments and community. For KuCoin, Tomorrowland is more than a global music festival—it represents the openness, diversity and global community that have always been at the heart of crypto.

Nine years ago, KuCoin set out to make digital assets accessible to more people around the world. Today, its mission has evolved beyond access to helping build the trusted infrastructure that will support the future of digital finance. Beyond music, beyond the celebration and beyond the signal, KuCoin’s ninth anniversary was not only a milestone for the company, but a celebration of how far the industry has come together—and a commitment to building what comes next.

About KuCoin

Founded in 2017, KuCoin is a leading global crypto platform built on trust and security, serving over 45 million users across 200+ countries and regions. Known for its reliability and user-first approach, the platform combines advanced technology, deep liquidity, and strong security safeguards to deliver a seamless trading experience. KuCoin provides access to 1,500+ digital assets through a broad product suite and remains committed to building transparent, compliant, and user-centric digital asset infrastructure for the future of finance, backed by SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, and ISO/IEC 27701:2019 Certifications. In recent years, we have built a strong global compliance foundation, marked by key milestones including AUSTRAC registration in Australia, a MiCA license in Europe, and regulatory progress in other markets.

Learn more at www.kucoin.com.

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SOURCE KuCoin

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