Research: Plaid's 2025 Fintech Consumer Report
Consumers now expect their apps to be smarter and more connected
Gm Fintech Architects —
Today, we are excited to share with you a new 37-page report from Plaid and The Harris Poll on the consumer view of Fintech.
This is an inside look at what 2,000+ consumers expect from Fintech companies in 2026. This year’s report is packed with data-driven insights on onboarding, AI, lending, and trust — and how top fintechs can adapt fast to stay ahead.
Here’s what’s inside:
Where expectations are rising, and where teams are falling short
The behaviors reshaping product strategy for 2026
What it takes to build trust, earn loyalty, and lead
Grab a copy 👉 here, or download the full report below to shape 2026 product, trust, and growth strategies.
A word from Plaid
Plaid sits at the intersection of people and the financial services they rely on every day.
In 2020, we surveyed consumers for our first Fintech Effect report, examining how they view and interact with financial technology. Five years on, our research reveals a clear throughline: the more consumers use digital tools to manage their finances, the more control, confidence, and opportunity they feel. What once felt like a “new” way to manage money has become the default — and increasingly, consumers are steering fintech’s next chapter.
This year’s data shows just how far we’ve come. Comfort with opening a fintech account now rivals that of opening an account at a credit union or big bank. That comfort didn’t just happen; it was earned by building trust — day by day, product by product. But with trust comes a rise in expectations: behind every tap and login, consumers are seeking more. More clarity, more responsiveness, more intelligence, more ease.
This report peels back the layers of those rising expectations. What emerges is a nuanced view of consumer behavior and sentiment, and how data sharing, payment preferences, credit confidence, and AI attitudes are evolving in tandem.
What's In The Full Report
Executive Summary
Key stats across all findings
Financial Confidence Under Pressure
Economic anxiety drives fintech reliance
From Financial Tool to Financial Co-Pilot
Concrete benefits, education gap
The Trust and Experience Mandate
84% comfortable opening fintech accounts
From Credit Confusion to Credit Confidence
Traditional lending frustrates, fintech simplifies
Alternative Payment Methods Are Becoming the Norm
Pay-by-bank, BNPL, crypto mainstream
Open Banking Is a Consumer Expectation
Connectivity non-negotiable for banks
Consumers Expect Big Things from AI
33% tried generative AI (+13% since 2023)
From Insight to Action & How Plaid Can Help
Strategic recommendations for companies
Key Takeaways
Consumer trust in fintech has reached an all-time high, with 84% comfortable opening fintech accounts, nearly matching traditional banks. This trust translates to action: 78% now use fintech apps (up 20 points since 2020), with 88% reporting concrete benefits like bigger savings and better financial control. Yet amid economic pressures, consumers increasingly rely on fintech as a financial partner rather than just a tool, depending more on digital solutions to weather challenges.
Rising trust fuels rising expectations. Consumers now demand seamless connectivity, frictionless experience, and intelligent guidance. Alternative payment methods have gone mainstream: 80% see pay-by-bank benefits, 58% use BNPL, and 34% own crypto. Meanwhile, the majority of users expect AI in their fintech apps, with comfort growing rapidly despite desires for transparency and human oversight.
The opportunity is clear: companies that combine trust-building security measures with personalized, AI-powered guidance and open connectivity will capture loyalty. Traditional lending remains confusing, but fintech lenders using real-time data are doubling adoption. The winners will transform from passive dashboards to active financial co-pilots — delivering speed, intelligence, and transparency at every touchpoint while helping consumers translate short-term stability into long-term financial confidence.
Learn more here.
Related Research
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