How CIBs can rise to meet new pressures and new players

Corporate and investment banking (CIB) entered 2026 at a decisive turning point. The industry remains on a growth trajectory, but revenue momentum is slowing and projections suggest this decline will continue for the rest of the decade. Competitive pressure is intensifying as non-bank financial institutions scale in private credit and trading, while fintechs increasingly control digital client interfaces. At the same time, clients’ expectations continue to rise and dissatisfaction is widespread: only 23% of clients believe their bank is delivering the real‑time, personalised, digital banking experiences they now require.1

But this inflection point also presents great opportunity, and some banks are grabbing it. These leaders are breaking the structural barriers that have traditionally held them back to pursue foundational change: modernising technology and legacy architecture, retooling operating models, strengthening ecosystem partnerships, and embedding Artificial Intelligence (AI) across their businesses. Early movers are realising tangible benefits – increased client engagement, new revenue streams, and decreasing cost to serve – and beginning to pull ahead.

The inaugural edition of our World Corporate and Investment Banking Report 2026 draws on results of three quantitative online research studies:

  • We polled 150 senior leaders of global corporate and investment banks, including CXOs and top executives responsible for enterprise strategy, growth, innovation, client experience, and core CIB business lines.
  • We surveyed 300 senior executives from large corporations with annual revenues of USD 1 billion or more, including from the retail and consumer goods, manufacturing and industrial goods, food and beverages, hospitality and travel, healthcare, telecommunications, media and entertainment, education, and real estate and construction industries.
  • Lastly, the report includes insights collected from 300 executives at non-bank financial institutions with annual revenues of USD 1 billion or more, including C-suite executives, senior leaders, and heads of core functions including finance and accounting.

Our research spanned 11 key markets across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East; together, these surveys provide a comprehensive view of the structural pressures, evolving client expectations, and transformation priorities shaping the CIB ecosystem.

To embrace the new CIB industry paradigm, bold innovation that unlocks real, transformative change is a must. Capgemini’s World Corporate and Investment Banking Report 2026 urges industry players to focus on four central priorities:

  1. Adopt a flexible, connected business model that accelerates change.
  2. Build a scalable, flexible, and resilient data and technology architecture that powers real-time interactions, elevates decision making, and enables self-optimisation.
  3. Become a trusted digital partner with AI governance embedded in every major decision across the enterprise and its ecosystems.
  4. Reinforce culture and invest in talent that supports innovation and client-centricity.

We provide a transformation roadmap to help your organisation lean into these strategies and become a true client-centric capability orchestrator. Download the report today to discover how to unlock enterprise-wide performance growth and become a leader in the new digital, data-driven CIB industry landscape.

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