The 2025 Banking Industry Report examines the global sector and highlights how digital transformation, shifting customer expectations, and regulatory changes are reshaping financial services. It explores key trends such as AI-driven personalization, expanding open banking ecosystems, and blockchain integration for improved transaction security and transparency.
The report analyzes market trends, investment patterns, technological advancements, patent activity, and more. It offers insights to industry leaders, innovation managers, and corporations on how banks are balancing innovation with trust, compliance, and financial inclusion in a changing environment.
Executive Summary: Banking Industry Report 2025
- Industry Growth Overview: The banking sector expanded by 4.75% in the past year, reaching over 22 900 companies. Among them, more than 9200 are classified as startups globally. Besides, the global banking market is valued at USD 29.80 trillion in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 52.56 trillion by 2033. It is expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.35%.
- Manpower & Employment Growth: The industry employs over 7.6 million people worldwide. It added more than 350 000 new jobs in the last year.
- Patents & Grants: Over 93 000 patents have been filed by 34 000+ applicants, with filings increasing by 5.5% annually. The sector also secured over 1000 public grants.
- Global Footprint: The leading country hubs are the USA, India, UK, Germany, and Canada. Key city ecosystems include London, New York City, Mumbai, Dubai, and Bangalore.
- Investment Landscape: More than 12 000 funding rounds have supported 3900+ companies. The average investment per round is USD 79 million, with contributions from over 9900 global investors.
- Top Investors: International Finance Corporation, Scotiabank, Emirates NBD, and more investors have committed over USD 35 billion to the sector.
- Startup Ecosystem: Five emerging startups shaping the industry are Sympera AI (agentic AI platform), Fixerra (API banking-as-a-service), BipTap (crypto and fiat banking), NoFrixion (embedded finance), and Minerva RegTech (cybersecurity and AML solutions).
Methodology: How We Created This Banking Industry Report
This report is based on proprietary data from our AI-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, which tracks 7 million global companies, 20K+ technologies and trends as well as 150M patents, news articles, and market reports. This data includes detailed firmographic insights into approximately 7 million startups, scaleups, and tech companies. Leveraging this exhaustive database, we provide actionable insights for startup scouting, trend discovery, and technology landscaping.
For this report, we focused on the evolution of banking over the past 5 years, utilizing our platform’s trend intelligence feature. Key data points analyzed include:
- Total Companies working in the sector
- News Coverage and Annual Growth
- Market Maturity and Patents
- Global Search Volume & Growth
- Funding Activity and Top Countries
- Subtrends within banking
Our data is refreshed regularly, enabling trend comparisons for deeper insights into their relative impact and importance.
Additionally, we reviewed trusted external resources to supplement our findings with broader market data and predictions, ensuring a reliable and comprehensive overview of the banking market.
What Data is Used to Create This Banking Sector Report?
Based on data provided by the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, we observe that the banking market stands out in the following categories relative to the 20K+ technologies and trends we track.
These categories provide a comprehensive overview of the market’s key metrics and inform the future direction of the market.
- News Coverage & Publications: The industry produced over 84 000 news articles and publications last year.
- Funding Rounds: Our database records more than 12 000 funding rounds completed within the sector. This demonstrates investor confidence and financial backing for emerging banking technologies.
- Manpower: With a workforce surpassing 7.6 million, the industry added over 3 50 000 new employees.
- Patents: The sector holds more than 93 000 patents, reflecting innovation in financial services, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure.
- Grants: It secured over 1000 grants to support research, regulatory developments, and financial inclusion programs.
- Yearly Global Search Growth: There is an increase of public engagement with banking-related topics and trends as the global search interest rose by 15.55% last year.
Explore the Data-driven Banking Sector Outlook for 2025
The World Bank estimates that 1.4 billion people worldwide remain unbanked. This limits access to formal financial services and creates challenges for citizens and micro-entrepreneurs in developing economies.
Additionally, the GSMA reports that 345 million of the 400 million micro-enterprises in emerging markets operate informally, highlighting gaps in global banking access.
Further, the banking market is projected to grow from USD 37.17 billion in 2025 to USD 55.25 billion by 2034, with a CAGR of 4.55%.
Credit: Market Research Future
The sector includes over 9200 startups and 22 900 companies. It employs more than 7.6 million professionals, which reflects ongoing expansion and investment in digital banking solutions. Last year, the industry recorded a 4.75% growth rate and added over 350,000 new employees.
More than 93 000 patents have been filed, with 1000 grants supporting advancements in financial technology, risk mitigation, compliance automation, and secure transactions.
Besides, AI-related patent filings in finance have increased by 250% over the past five years, with applications in fraud detection, algorithmic trading, and personalized wealth management.
The industry clusters around major hubs in the USA, India, the UK, Germany, and Canada, with key ecosystems in London, New York, Mumbai, Dubai, and Bangalore.
Moreover, Statista reports that European countries generally have higher online banking penetration through traditional computers, while Asian and Latin American markets favor mobile banking adoption.
A Snapshot of the Global Banking Report Market
The banking industry grew by 4.75% annually, supported by an ecosystem of over 9200 startups focused on financial technologies and service innovation.
Among these, more than 1100 are in early-stage development, while another 1100 have undergone mergers and acquisitions. This shows steady activity across company lifecycles.
Patent filings remain active, with over 93 000 submitted by more than 34 000 applicants. This marks a 5.5% annual increase in intellectual property development within the sector.
The USA leads in patent issuance with over 41 000 patents, followed by China with more than 13 000.
For instance, Bank of America (BofA) continues expanding its patent portfolio, increasing its holdings by 70% over five years to 6600 granted and pending patents.
Credit: GlobalData
Explore the Funding Landscape of the Banking Industry Outlook
The banking industry continues to draw investor interest, with more than 9900 investors involved in over 12 000 closed funding rounds across various segments. The average investment per round is USD 79 million. This fuels advancements in technology, compliance automation, and financial inclusion efforts.
Over 3900 companies have further secured funding. It shows how innovation, scalability, and regulatory adaptability influence investor decisions across early and growth stages.
This steady flow of investment drives digital transformation, platform modernization, and the expansion of banking ecosystems worldwide.
Who is Investing in the Banking Market?
The top investors in the banking industry have invested more than USD 35 billion to support companies across traditional and digital banking services.
- International Finance Corporation has invested USD 6.2 billion across 50 companies. Its investment portfolio includes fintech companies globally with more than USD 600 million in equity and debt investments in early and growth-stage companies.
- Scotiabank has allocated USD 4.9 billion to 2 companies.
- Emirates NBD has invested USD 4 billion in 5 companies.
- National Bank of Canada has deployed USD 3.8 billion into 2 companies. The bank’s investment holdings include significant positions in international companies such as Prudential and HSBC Holdings.
- European Investment Bank has funded 27 companies with USD 3.6 billion.
- Nationwide has invested USD 3.5 billion across 5 companies.
- UBS has contributed USD 3.3 billion to 8 companies.
- ANZ has invested USD 3.3 billion in 2 companies.
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has backed 49 companies with USD 3.1 billion.
- Visa has invested USD 3 billion across 23 companies.
Top Banking Innovations & Trends
Discover the emerging trends in the banking market along with their firmographic details:
- Banking Automation simplifies repetitive processes, including loan approvals, compliance checks, and customer service interactions. A total of 184 companies operate in this space, employing 47 000 professionals. Over the past year, the workforce grew by 2000 employees. This is supported by the increasing adoption of AI, RPA, and decision automation tools. Further, the trend continues to expand at an annual rate of 2.47%.
- Omnichannel Banking enhances customer experience across physical branches, mobile apps, web portals, and call centers. Currently, 108 companies are active in this area and employ 121 000 professionals worldwide. The segment saw an addition of 5000 employees in the last year. With an annual growth rate of 3.97%, this trend highlights the demand for seamless and personalized financial services across multiple platforms.
- Blockchain Banking uses distributed ledger technology to improve transparency, transaction speed, and security in banking operations. More than 85 companies operate in this space, employing around 2000 professionals. Last year, the workforce grew by 290 employees, which indicates increased industry interest. With an annual growth rate of 17.62%, blockchain banking is expanding as decentralized finance, smart contracts, and regulatory technology gain traction.
5 Top Examples from 9200+ Innovative Banking Startups
The five innovative startups showcased below are picked based on data including the trend they operate within and their relevance, founding year, funding status, and more. Book a demo to find promising startups, emerging trends, or industry data specific to your company’s needs and objectives.
Sympera AI develops Agentic-AI Platform
USA-based startup Sympera AI builds an agentic-AI platform to improve relationship banking. It enables relationship managers to handle larger client portfolios while focusing on high-value opportunities.
The platform uses domain-specific language models to analyze client behavior, predict needs with accuracy, and recommend tailored products. It provides market intelligence, which enables managers to uncover financial relationships, monitor business health, and refine prospecting strategies.
Sympera AI also supports intelligent pipeline management by assessing conversion likelihood and revenue potential. It equips relationship managers with conversational references and objection-handling strategies based on client behavior.
Fixerra offers API Banking-as-a-Service
Indian startup Fixerra provides an API-driven banking-as-a-service platform that allows digital businesses to launch and manage banking products, including fixed deposits, savings accounts, and recurring deposits.
Its infrastructure connects with multiple banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), and enables partners to offer financial products without requiring customers to open new accounts. The platform features a fixed deposit marketplace, high-interest savings accounts, and automated recurring deposits that are accessible through white-labeled SDKs and APIs.
Fixerra simplifies compliance, strengthens security, and enables quick deployment to enable fintechs to deliver a wide range of banking solutions.
BipTap advances Crypto & Fiat Banking
UK-based startup BipTap develops an offshore banking platform that integrates blockchain technology with traditional financial systems, supporting both crypto and fiat currencies.
It allows users to open offshore accounts, issue virtual and physical debit cards, and manage multi-currency wallets to enable transactions across global markets. The platform includes encrypted messaging for secure communication, instant card freezing for added security, and automatic currency conversions for international payments.
BipTap offers individuals and businesses a unified way to manage financial assets while maintaining control over their data.
NoFrixion offers Embedded Finance
Irish startup NoFrixion builds an embedded finance platform that integrates programmable current accounts, payment automation, and treasury operations within an API-driven interface. It allows businesses to open regulated accounts with embedded IBANs and enables fund segregation, budget tracking, and reconciliation.
The startup’s platform supports ERP integration by importing bills, managing supplier workflows, and auto-grouping payments. Its rules engine automates receivables and payables across multiple accounts to simplify financial processes.
NoFrixion ensures secure transaction processing with multi-factor authentication, approval hierarchies, and audit trails. These features enable businesses to maintain compliance and control over financial operations.
Additionally, the platform offers UI components for quick deployment, real-time alerts for treasury management, and customer authentication for payment flows.
Minerva RegTech provides Cybersecurity & AML Solutions
New Zealand startup Minerva RegTech creates an AI-powered compliance platform that automates AML, KYC, and KYB processes for financial institutions, fintechs, and law firms through a unified API.
The platform processes structured and unstructured data in multiple languages using deep learning and neural networks. It performs real-time identity verification, transaction monitoring, and sanctions screening.
Additionally, the startup integrates biometric ID checks, source-of-funds validation, risk scoring, and video KYC to streamline digital onboarding and prevent fraud. It also supports eAML, legal entity identifier (LEI) issuance, cybersecurity measures, and NFC-based verification.
Gain Comprehensive Insights into Banking Trends, Startups, and Technologies
The banking industry will continue evolving through 2025 as digital innovation, regulatory changes, and shifting customer expectations drive transformation. Further, emerging trends such as quantum-secure transactions, climate risk finance, and AI-led credit scoring will redefine core banking functions.
Get in touch to explore 9200+ startups and scaleups, as well as all market trends impacting banking companies.
