Financial providers are preparing for AI financial applications, but consumers remain reluctant to let automated agents open products on their behalf, according to research published in Signicat’s 2026 The Battle to Onboard report. While 79% of providers said they were prepared for AI-initiated applications, only 14% of consumers said they were comfortable with AI opening a financial product for them.

Key Takeaways

  • Most consumers surveyed welcomed AI assistance with applications, but far fewer wanted it to complete one independently.
  • Sixty percent said they had abandoned an online financial application during the previous year.
  • Consumers were more likely to trust financial providers than AI providers to keep their personal data safe.

AI financial applications: Help is more welcome than autonomy

Signicat found that 65% of consumers welcomed AI assistance with financial applications, including providing information or preparing an application for approval. Just 11% wanted AI to complete an application on their behalf.

Comfort was also limited for identity checks and agreements: 15% said they would trust AI to use their digital identity to verify them to a bank, while 14% would trust it to sign contracts to open an account.

The findings distinguish between using AI to help with an application and allowing it to take consequential steps without the customer’s direct involvement.

ItemDetails
Norway79% uncomfortable with AI opening a financial product
Finland78% uncomfortable
Sweden73% uncomfortable
United Kingdom69% uncomfortable

Application friction and data trust

The share of consumers who said they had abandoned an online financial application during the previous year was 60%, down from 68% in Signicat’s 2022 study. Respondents continued to cite excessive information requests and lengthy processes among the reasons for leaving applications unfinished.

On data security, 44% named financial providers as trusted to keep personal data safe, compared with 23% who named AI providers. That distinction does not necessarily mean customers are comfortable allowing an AI agent to use their identity or sign an agreement.

Nordic respondents report discomfort

The survey also found substantial discomfort with AI opening a financial product in several countries. Norway, which the report said leads Europe in digital ID preference, had the highest share of uncomfortable respondents among the markets cited.

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