Financial Firms Struggle to Prove AI Returns
A Capgemini survey of 1,100 financial services executives finds most firms lack clear ways to measure whether their AI spending pays off.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Financial Services
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Capgemini's World Cloud Report for Financial Services 2027, based on a survey of 1,100 executives across 14 markets, finds that nearly half of financial services firms cannot consistently demonstrate a return on their AI initiatives. Banks and insurers are moving AI agents into core workflows but face infrastructure and governance hurdles.
Why it matters
As institutions shift AI agents into core banking and insurance operations, the ability to show measurable value and manage technology debt will determine which firms can scale these systems. The findings highlight a gap between AI deployment and proven business results across the sector.
Eight in 10 executives identify reducing technology debt as a priority for scaling agentic AI, and 90% of institutions are using or planning intelligent model routing. The survey does not show how many of these projects will reach full enterprise deployment.
The players
Capgemini
Capgemini is a global consulting and technology services company that publishes annual industry research on cloud and digital transformation.
The details
The survey covered 1,100 financial services executives across 14 markets, with regulatory certifications, security frameworks and auditability cited as leading considerations when selecting cloud providers. Hybrid sourcing is currently used by 36% of firms, and 52% of banks and insurers identify hyperscalers as their preferred partners for governing multi-agent systems.
Timeline
By 2028: executives prioritising outcomes for AI funding are projected to rise 141%, while those prioritising efficiency are projected to fall 42%.
Within three years: three quarters of respondents expect AI agents to become a key part of customer engagement, and hybrid sourcing is expected to rise above two-thirds of firms.
The Tech Race
Capgemini's annual World Cloud Report series has tracked financial institutions' cloud migration for several editions, and this 2027 edition shifts focus from infrastructure adoption to whether agentic AI investments produce measurable returns. The 5% of firms with enterprise-scale agentic capabilities suggest a widening gap between early leaders and the rest of the sector.
Customers of banks and insurers may see AI agents become a routine part of service interactions within three years, as the survey projects. Firms that cannot show clear returns on AI spending may face pressure to reduce or restructure those investments.
The takeaway
Financial firms that measure AI spending against concrete business outcomes, rather than deployment alone, are better positioned to scale these tools. Reducing legacy technology debt appears to be the first practical step for most institutions.
Further reading
For more on how banks and insurers are approaching these systems, explore Financial Services coverage.
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Do you think companies are right to keep spending heavily on AI right now?
