2026 will be a pivotal year for the financial sector. The convergence of advanced data strategies and transformative artificial intelligence is fundamentally rewriting the rules of banking, asset management, insurance, and FinTech. AI is set to automate over a third of manual processes, from data processing to reconciliation, driving exceptional efficiency gains. The next frontier is the deployment of AI agents - autonomous systems - that will revolutionize back-office operations and redefine the customer experience through human-centric, empathetic automation.

Now in its 10th year, City and Financial Global’ s well-known Data, AI and the Future of Financial Services Summit, chaired by Vivienne Artz OBE FCSI (Hon) CMgr CCMI AIGP, Chair of the Artificial Intelligence and Data Advisory Group of the International Business and Diplomatic Exchange, and held at Cavendish Venues - 22 Duchess Mews, London on 16 March 2026, is your essential guide to the future, moving beyond theoretical discussions to focus on the practical, strategic shifts defining your firm’s success in the coming year.  

We are pleased that John Edwards, Information Commissioner, ICO, Kate Jones, CEO, Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum, and Jem Davies, Chief Compliance Officer, Bank of England are among our advisory board members and speakers for this important event.

• Update on the UK Government’s approach to AI. Driving innovation through technology adoption
• From Innovation to Litigation: The Legal Risks around AI
• Embracing the necessary cultural shifts to deploy AI within financial services. Understanding how to effectively use data to build, scale and govern AI in regulated environments
• The long-term impact of Agentic AI and Intelligent Agents on financial services. Exploring how increasingly advanced and interconnected AI systems could reshape the market structure, firms' operations, consumer trends and regulatory approaches by 2030. Data challenges while building secure, intelligent agents to transform traditional banking processes 
• Data analytics and ROI – focusing on the real-world applications of data analytics and measuring the return on investment of data and AI initiatives. How can we effectively scale predictive analytics and automation
• Opportunities for innovation in payments and Open Banking in the UK. How AI is transforming the payments landscape and how we should navigate the latest changes while balancing customer demands and regulatory compliance
• Deep dives into AI and Cyber Security;  data encryption and quantum computing; enabling the use of digital identities in the UK and beyond; IP Rights and AI – what is the status?
• Data quality and Data/AI governance, risk and compliance within financial services. Reflecting on explainability frameworks, systemic risk, adversarial threats, and the implementation of key regulations.
• The future if financial services in 2030 - How will the new data requirements and AI reshape the financial services industry