Trends for the financial industry: 6 highlights in the Tech Trends Report

The Tech Trends Report is an annual report that analyzes and predicts technology trends that are likely to have a significant impact on business, society, and the world of finance. And as we know, trends in the financial market allow us to anticipate future scenarios in a world that is constantly changing.

In practice, looking at emerging financial movements helps guide banks e fintechs as they develop solutions aligned with new innovative initiatives in the banking and means of payment e banking.

Here in Dock we are constantly drinking from different sources to keep up with these trends, and one of them is precisely the Tech Trends Report. Presented by futurist and researcher Amy Webb, Director of The Future Today Institute, which is part of the New York University School of Business, this study is essential to understanding how companies will operate from now on.

In March 2025, the content of the 18th edition was released at the SXSW event, highlighting strategic technology trends, with a section of specific insights for financial services. In this article, we selected some of them that have a very significant impact in Latin America.

 

New Frontiers of Finance: The Age of Personalization and Integration

 

Before we detail the trends themselves, it is important to highlight that a general reading of the report reveals a financial sector that is rapidly advancing in digitalization, while facing regulatory challenges and emerging risks.

In that scenario, the artificial intelligence (AI) becomes central to operations such as risk analysis and preventing fraud , instant payments create a more agile transactional environment, and digital identity expands, requiring new approaches to privacy and security.

Ao mesmo tempo, o Embedded Finance continues to revolutionize the sector when integrating financial services on non-financial platforms, allowing companies to offer products directly where consumers already interact.

Another highlight is the hyper-personalization that makes use of AI and data analysis to offer financial solutions tailored to each client. However, this personalization needs to be balanced with privacy and responsible use of data to maintain user trust and security.

 

Trends for the financial industry: What are the main ones for 2025?

 

The financial sector is rapidly adapting to technological innovations, shaping a new landscape for consumers and businesses. Trends for 2025 reflect the search for greater efficiency, security and personalization in financial services.

 

1. Digital identity

 

The use of digital identity is transforming rapidly, especially in the financial sector. By 2026, changes in the control and protection of digital identities will reshape the way in which financial institution guarantee security and privacy.

In fact, it is worth remembering that in the financial sector, digital identity goes beyond passwords, including biometric data to facilitate secure transactions and prevent fraudes. This requires complex systems to validate and verify identities of customers in real time, making transactions faster and more reliable.

The report highlights that while the adoption of digital identity offers fundamental benefits, it also brings challenges, such as the risk of data leaks.

 

2. Data Modeling with AI

 

Artificial Intelligence-assisted data modeling is revolutionizing industries such as finance and insurance, improving risk management, risk detection, and fraud and decision making. Companies like Visa, for example, are using AI to increase operational efficiency, reduce fraudand remain competitive.

AI analyzes large volumes of data, identifying patterns and making predictions that guide business decisions. In the financial sector, AI helps detect transactions fraudulentas in real time, assessing transaction risks and assisting with customer acquisition and retention strategies.

However, as AI evolves, companies must deal with issues such as data governance and cyber security, ensuring that your AI systems remain secure and transparent against potential threats.

 

3. Programmable money

 

Programmable money allows automatic transactions based on predefined conditions, with increasing adoption by central banks and financial institutions. This improves efficiency, safety and financial inclusion, without the need for intermediaries.

This technology can revolutionize international payments, in addition to foster innovations such as tokenization of assets.

Rather than relying on traditional systems, programmable money applies rules directly to transactions. Countries such as India and Thailand are integrating digital currencies with payment platforms, while new technologies in the private sector automate subsidies and transfers in real time.

O drex, a digital currency issued by the Central Bank of Brazil, is directly aligned with the trend of programmable money. Previously called digital real, the currency is in the testing phase, with a potential launch in 2025.

 

4. Frictionless payments

 

Also known as Frictionless Payments, os frictionless payments eliminate obstacles in the payment process, making transactions faster and almost invisible. They use technologies such as biometric authentication and Embedded Payments to improve security and customer experience.

The importance of frictionless payments will beyond convenience, impacting customer loyalty and business competitiveness. They generate valuable data to personalize offers and improve marketing, as well as reduce costs and errors in recurring transactions.

 

5. Instant payments

 

Os instant payments are becoming a regulatory and competitive necessity worldwide, with demand growing but challenges such as legacy infrastructure, interoperability and compliance still remain. Although the market is expanding, the Global adoption of instant payments is uneven.

EU regulation requires that by 2025 all payment service providers be able to send and receive instant payments, but compatibility challenges still exist. In the US, usage is growing, but only a fraction of banks adopt it totalmente real-time payment systems.

In the report analysis, the rapid adoption of Pix in Brazil and the launch of Real-Time-Rail (RTR) in Canada suggest that instant payments will soon be the global standard. Those who do not adapt will risk losing customers and relevance in the financial ecosystem.

 

6. Digital wallets

 

As digital wallets are becoming multifunctional platforms, going beyond payments. Innovations are making transactions more flexible, allowing users to switch between different payment methods and make payments peer-to-peer.

Furthermore, security is being improved with solutions that replace passwords with biometric authentication or that expand functionalities, such as instant transfers between cell phones.

In a broader context, governments are incorporating digital wallets into public infrastructure. One example is the European Digital Identity Wallet, which is currently under development and will be able to store a range of personal documents, such as payment methods, travel credentials and medical information.

 

Recapping the Tech Trends Report 2024: what's still worth keeping an eye on?

 

Many of the trends identified in the 2024 report have resurfaced in Tech Trends 2025, which highlights the continued importance of topics such as frictionless payments, programmable money e digital wallets.

However, in addition to these recurring trends, other elements that were highlighted in 2024 also continue to require our attention and monitoring to fully understand the constantly evolving technological landscape. Check out some of them:

 

Asset Tokenization

 

Tokenization refers to the conversion of physical assets, or financial products, into digital form. Through technology blockchain, assets such as real estate, for example, or even intellectual properties, can be transformed into smaller parts, that is, in digital tokens.

This greater divisibility improves asset liquidity, expanding access to investment opportunities and allowing a broader audience of investors to participate in markets previously accessible only to large capital holders.

The interesting thing is that asset tokenization is now also seen as a strategy to reduce costs and bureaucracy, especially in the financial market. By digitizing assets, traditional intermediaries such as brokers can become less necessary, reducing transaction fees.

 

Alternatives Credit Scoring

 

The use of alternative data in credit scoring has been recurring year after year as a trend for the financial market. One of the reasons why this approach remains in evidence is the fact that the alternative score opens up new revenue possibilities, especially with the offer of financial services to a portion of the population previously considered at high risk of default.

The Tech Trends Report 2024 pointed out that innovating in this aspect is fundamental for the future of access to credit, and the path to this lies especially in AI and machine learning technologies applied on a large scale.

A Dock within the scope of prevention of fraude, has already been working in this direction and seeks to work on financial inclusion from the point of view of ESG, in the social sense of accessing alternative data to provide credit in a more democratic way.

 

Open Banking

 

O Open Banking makes financial data more accessible, which helps fuel the creation of new systems without the burden of working with old programming languages. In 2024, the Tech Trends Report showed another aspect: data sharing of the customer raises important data security and privacy issues.

Therefore, institutions need more than ever to invest in strong cybersecurity measures and comply with regulations data protection to protect customer information. In addition to security measures, the open banking requires adherence to complex regulations, requiring significant updates to systems and processes.

The path indicated by the report is that financial institutionspostin APIs that comply with data sharing and security standards. And to face this challenge in integrating new technologies, Having a financial API provider that provides quick and agile updates is essential.

 

Keeping up with trends for the financial industry means contributing to making finance more organic

 

At Dock, we believe that keeping track of trends and staying one step ahead of the game is key to building an increasingly organic, seamless world of finance.

We continuously keep up with them and upgrade our platform for solutions in Banking, Cards & Credit, Acquiring e Fraud Prevention so that our customers can also evolve their businesses along these trends, providing their customers with excellent payment experiences.

Do you want to find out more about how we do this? Watch our video manifesto

 

Trends for the financial market: what you saw in this article

 

• The Tech Trends Report highlights the main trends for the technology universe every year, including insights for banking and payments.
• The evolution of financial digitalization brings regulatory challenges, but also new opportunities, such as the integration of finance into non-financial platforms.
• Technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital identity are shaping the way financial institutions ensure security and optimize processes, especially in preventing fraudeg.
• Personalization of services, enabled by data analysis, is expanding, but it needs to balance privacy and responsible use of information.
• The concept of “programmable money” also gains prominence, allowing automated transactions without the need for intermediaries.
• Furthermore, the growth of digital wallets and the popularization of instant payments are changing consumer behavior and the dynamics of the financial market.

 

Related articles: