Digital Transformation in the finance sector

4 February 2026

The results of the study by Cetif Research and Reply dedicated to CIO Strategy have been published

Today, the results of the research project carried out by Cetif Research (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart) and Reply have been published, aimed at analyzing the level of digital maturity, the evolution of organizational and IT governance models, and the technologies adopted to support transformation processes in the financial sector in Italy.

The data highlight that over 65% of financial Institutions today consider IT a structural lever of industrial strategy, and no longer just a mere support function. Digital transformation thus enters a phase of greater maturity, where technological choices are consolidated, collaboration between IT and business is strengthened, and increasingly data-driven approaches are established to govern processes and customer journeys.

In this scenario, the IT Strategy assumes a decisive role in defining investment priorities, guiding modernization models, and mitigating regulatory and technological constraints that still slow down the execution of the most complex projects.

Paolo Gatelli, Senior Research Manager, Cetif, states: “If we project ourselves five or ten years ahead, the IT infrastructure of banks will be very different from the current one. Hybrid models will prevail, with a more extensive use of the cloud and solutions that simultaneously ensure flexibility, data sovereignty, and security. The data platform will be at the center of everything: both for customer services and for internal operations. Architectures will be modular, based on APIs and microservices, and automation will be widespread at every level - from software development to security controls. AI will become a pervasive element, integrated into decisions, processes, and daily operational support. Alongside these, technologies such as data mesh, advanced MLOps tools, and intelligent observability solutions will emerge. Legacy systems will not disappear overnight, but will be progressively reduced, encapsulated, and managed until the business case allows for their complete decommissioning.”

Paolo Zandano, Group Head of Strategic Customers, Financial Services, Reply, adds: “Today, the truly differentiating element is the ability to transform the technological vision into concrete value: measurable, replicable, and governable. In the near future, the IT Strategy will need to balance efficiency (automation, standardization, and reduction of time-to-market), innovation in products, services, and customer interaction, and risk management in a context of cyber threats and increasing regulatory requirements. Hybrid models and modular architectures will prevail, where cloud, data, and security are designed as a coherent and measurable whole, not as separate initiatives. AI will become increasingly pervasive, but will generate impact only if integrated into processes and governed as a critical asset, with policies, controls, KPIs, and accountability. The focus will shift from planning to continuous execution: agile and specialized teams, capable of rapidly deploying and scaling what works, following a clear roadmap on AI, data, cloud, and cyber within a framework .”

Operations as the engine of digital transformation

Delving deeper into the evidence, 72% of the market confirms the enhancement of Operations as the main driver of innovation. Institutions are indeed focusing investments on processes that are closest to the business and the customer, recognizing Operations as the area with the highest level of digital maturity. The automation of core processes, the re-engineering of workflows, and the digitization of activities with the greatest operational impact are structurally redesigning the entire operating model, creating the foundations for further acceleration of the entire transformation cycle.

Evolving IT demand in business-critical functions

The study also highlights a clear polarization of IT demand. In Operations, Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service, over 75% of IT demand is now predominantly evolutionary, aimed at developing new functionalities, improving customer journeys, and increasing the scalability of solutions. In governance and support processes, however, demand remains more balanced: about 55% of IT requests combine corrective and evolutionary interventions, indicating a phase of consolidation of the existing and less pressure for radical change.

Prioritization of digital projects driven by integration, scalability, and customer engagement

The IT function is currently concentrating investments on domains that enable integration, interoperability, and modularity of platforms. More than 65% of strategic initiatives concern projects related to omnichannel, personalization of customer journeys, development of API-based platforms, and improvement of digital interfaces. In contrast, infrastructural projects or initiatives less directly linked to customer experience show a more stable or slightly slowing priority, confirming an increasing selectivity in the allocation of IT resources.

Complex regulations and long timelines: the main brakes on digital transformation

Despite good internal maturity, the speed of digital transformation remains conditioned by structural factors. Almost 80% of financial Institutions indicate regulatory complexity and implementation times as the main elements hindering transformation projects. This is followed by high integration costs (about 65% of the market) and issues related to data management and quality (over 60%). Internal obstacles, such as cultural resistance or difficulties in collaboration between IT and business, are instead marginal and reported by less than a third of Institutions.

Limited adoption of GenAI, while AI and RPA grow selectively

Generative AI is still in an experimental phase: less than 20% of Institutions report structured use of GenAI in core processes. In contrast, more established technologies show significantly higher adoption levels. RPA is stably used in Operations by over 60% of the market, while traditional AI is growing mainly in Marketing and customer-facing functions, where about 50% of operators use it for personalization, predictive analysis, and improving customer experience.

Architectures still on-premise, but adoption of hybrid models is growing

On the architectural front, on-premise models still prevail, representing about 55% of application architectures, especially in core systems and processes with greater criticality. However, the spread of hybrid models is growing, now affecting about 45% of infrastructures, particularly in front-end domains and shared services. The cloud is establishing itself as a lever of agility and time-to-market, but introduces new complexities of governance and integration in hybrid contexts.

Technical debt, security, and skills hinder cloud migration but to a decreasing extent

Migration to the cloud continues to be slowed by technical debt, security requirements, and a lack of specialized skills. Over 60% of Institutions still report technical debt as a major obstacle. However, the overall impact of these issues is decreasing by about 10 percentage points compared to the previous year, thanks to the strengthening of infrastructures, improvement of security controls, and gradual growth of internal skills.

Notes on the research

The survey was conducted by Cetif Research, of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and Reply, involving the main national financial Institutions and enriched by moments of discussion with industry experts.