Digital transformation is accelerating worldwide, and banking is no exception. Confronted with new technologies and business models, evolving regulatory demands, and shifting customer expectations, banks are compelled to adapt at an ever-faster pace.
Emerging disruptive technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), are reshaping the banking sector by driving automation, strengthening risk management, and enhancing operational efficiency. At the same time, AI enables banks to deliver more personalized and proactive services: predictive analytics can anticipate customer needs, while natural language processing powers advanced chatbots and virtual assistants that provide 24/7 support. As these capabilities mature, banks are embedding AI into their mobile apps to offer tailored financial advice, spending insights, and adaptive product recommendations, making banking more intuitive and engaging.
In parallel with this technology-led innovation, banks remain under scrutiny on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance, with regulators and the public assessing whether their initiatives meet growing expectations. Sustained oversight is prompting banks to take a more active role in the sustainable transition and digitalization, particularly through mobile apps, serves as a key channel to showcase ESG progress and empower customers to advance their own sustainability practices.
Building on this broader mandate to deliver responsible, human-centered services, an essential aspect of the digital evolution is ensuring that banking applications are accessible to all users, particularly those with impairments. While the European Accessibility Act and similar regulations worldwide set clear requirements for inclusive digital environments, the push for accessibility is not solely regulatory driven. It is equally user-centric, as banks recognize that accessible design improves the overall customer experience and enables everyone to participate more fully in society.
Bringing these threads together, mobile banking apps have become the primary touchpoint for customers to engage with their banks. To thrive in this digital‑first landscape, institutions must deliver seamless, fully integrated end‑to‑end journeys across a broad range of products and services, alongside streamlined onboarding to attract new clients. To track these innovations, Sia conducts an annual global benchmark of banking apps, identifying the most complete, innovative, and user‑friendly applications worldwide.
Sia’s 2025 Mobile Banking Benchmark assessed the performance of 137 banking applications in 23 countries across the EMEA region, North and Central America, Asia and Australia. The banks in scope of the study were evaluated on more than 100 criteria in 3 pillars: Functionalities (FX), User Experience (UX), and App Store ratings. Reflecting recent market trends, Sia has identified ESG, Accessibility, and Security as key transformative forces shaping the future of digital finance and introduced dedicated assessment lenses to evaluate their impact on the mobile banking landscape. In parallel, AI capabilities, were embedded into the relevant FX and UX sub-categories.