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Trendwatching. Marketing.

The Future Story: How Trendwatching Is Transforming Banking

Past, present, and future technologies in banking
Networking at events. Business introductions. Organizing effective communication

Hi, Grandma Siri!

Opening a banking app in 2040 will feel as strange as writing a paper check does today. Financial services will dissolve into everyday life: you’ll simply say, “Buy tickets like last year,” and a voice assistant will handle everything. For now, we’re halfway there — and that’s exactly where trendwatching helps us understand what’s happening to banks and our money.

What people want

Banking is not just about accounts and interest rates. It’s a constant search for how to meet basic human needs: to pay easily, stay in control, avoid overpaying, and not depend on queues. Every major update in the financial world has been a response to one of these needs.

We got here step by step. Each new technology in banking wasn’t about innovation for the sake of innovation — it solved a specific problem.

Credit cards (1950s–60s) gave people the ability to buy without immediate payment for the first time.

ATMs (1967) removed dependence on bank office hours.

Online banking (1995–2000) freed people from visiting branches.

Mobile banking (2007–2012) turned the phone into a bank.

Online payments and P2P services (2011–2015) removed barriers between people and banks — now you can transfer money in 2 seconds with no fees.

Then came the next level

Open Banking (2015–2020) gave third-party services access to banking data and fostered entire ecosystems.

BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) brought long-awaited flexibility: you pay when it’s convenient for you, not when the seller demands it. It quickly became popular among younger generations — not only in e-commerce, but also in education, healthcare, and travel.

Artificial intelligence (2020–present) and personal assistants have turned the bank into a conversational partner: it doesn’t just serve you — it advises and guides. “You’ve been overspending on cafés — want help planning your budget?”

We’re approaching the next turning point

Assistants will no longer live inside banking apps. They will move outward — into messengers, voice interfaces, and everyday life scenarios. “How much do I have in savings right now?” “What’s a good return for pension funds?” — you’ll just ask. No buttons, no contexts. AI is already here.

This is a forecast based on a последовательный analysis of trends — and an understanding of why they emerged in the first place. Trendwatching makes it possible to see the chain from a “payment card in your wallet” to a “smart assistant in your ear.” Technologies come and go, but human needs remain constant: convenience, security, freedom of choice, and financial clarity.

“Trendwatching helps us understand what’s happening to banks and our money” — we look into the future by assessing how familiar user behavior patterns will change.

What not to do with trends
  • Don’t chase “shiny” objects. Not every trend deserves your attention — especially if it doesn’t fit your product, market, or values.
  • Don’t copy without context. What works perfectly in Sweden might fail in Dubai. Trends are signals, not ready-made templates.
  • Don’t treat trendwatching as a one-time activity. It’s not a report you read once a year. It’s a habit of noticing, questioning, and interpreting.
  • And most importantly — don’t delay. Trends only bring value when turned into action. Wait too long, and instead of adapting, you’ll be catching up.
Trendwatching as a radar

The future of banking isn’t created in secret innovation labs. It takes shape in quiet, everyday decisions — about which needs we prioritize, which technologies we trust, and which trends we choose to follow.

Trendwatching is your radar. Use it wisely — not to predict the future, but to create it.
Leonid Bugaev
is an expert in business communications, a corporate trainer, speaker, and conference moderator. He is the author of the books “Mobile Marketing”, “Mobile Networking” and "People Like Me: 99 Rules for Building Connections That Actually Matter."

Follow Leonid on Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube so you don’t miss new publications. Also take a look at his business training programs on networking, B2B sales and trendwatching, as well as his books and interviews.