Bankers Look Ahead to 2025
Community Bankers Embrace an Era of AI and Increased Efficiency
AI has emerged as a transformative force in the financial services industry. From streamlining internal processes to fighting cybersecurity and financial crime threats, banks are exploring AI and the opportunities it creates while keeping in mind inherent risks.
In addition to expressing interest in expanding AI use, bankers’ responses to the 2025 Banking Priorities survey indicate continued optimism and commitment to modernization. Bankers share their top challenges, strategies and technology investments as they plan for 2025. While strategies vary depending on individual institutions, increasing efficiencies also arose as a recurring theme as banks strive to remain competitive and meet evolving customer expectations in a digital-first world.
Facing rapid technological change and shifting consumer preferences, banks are doubling down on reducing manual processes and taking advantage of efficiencies created by automation. Continued adoption of open banking, enhanced cybersecurity and evolving regulatory concerns broaden the areas of focus financial institutions must consider when developing their strategies. But these areas also represent a tremendous opportunity for those that adapt.
About CSI’s 2025 Banking Priorities Survey
Navigating the twists and turns of the banking landscape takes foresight, flexibility and a clear strategy—that’s why CSI conducts an annual survey of community financial institutions nationwide to understand their perspective for the year ahead. We explore their strategic priorities, market share strategies, upcoming technological investments and more.
We understand the complex challenges facing community banks and want to provide a look into the industry to help institutions identify trends and solutions used by other institutions while providing data to benchmark their own performance. This annual research initiative sheds light on bankers’ approaches to staying competitive and offers expert guidance around those plans.
Let this report serve as a guide to facing the challenges in 2025 head on, turning them into opportunities to meet and exceed customer expectations.
Independent research firm CITE Research administered the tenth iteration of the survey, distributing it to community bankers across the United States throughout October 2024. 250 bankers at manager level or above responded, strategically dispersed across these demographics:
Institution Asset Size
$100M - $250M
$250.1M - $500M
$500.1M - $1B
$1.1B - $5B
$5.1B - $10B
Role of Respondent
C-Level Executive
Senior Vice President
Vice President
Director
Manager
Explore our interactive report to uncover their responses, as well as analyses and insight from industry experts. All percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percentage point with an estimated margin of error of just slightly over 6%.