This long-term shift from traditional branch banking to always-on mobile banking and now to invisible, context-aware embedded financial services requires banks to determine their role in these ecosystems and adapt their strategies, technologies, and architectures accordingly. Expanding regulations. Banks grapple with an increasingly complex and stringent regulatory landscape.

Branch experiences are still very important to Malaysian banking customers; branches aren’t going away just because of web and mobile banking. Branch-goers typically look to them for welcoming environments, convenient hours, short wait times, and helpful staff. But only 63% of Malaysian customers said that they were satisfied with branches.

By clearly labeling fees and ways to avoid them in its mobile banking app, Intesa Sanpaolo helps customers choose the right product by communicating simply and transparently. Well-trained branch employees. The second top driver of CX quality in Italy is branch employees answering all of customers’ questions. For many Italian banking customers, branches are still an important touchpoint.

Among bank customers, 66% say that branch employees can answer all their questions — the most important driver. Customer service is only marginally better: 67% of customers say that customer service reps can answer all of their questions. HDFC Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank are leaders, with 74% and 73%, respectively, of customers saying that their branch is empowered to answer all customer questions.

Traditional banks rely on branch networks and legacy systems, offer a mix of in-person and digital services, have higher operating costs, and typically innovate more slowly. The comparison highlights the greater agility, automation, and scalability of digital-only banking models.

Source: Forrester’s Financial Services Banking Survey, 2025. Figure 2 Branches Still Play A Big Role In Child Account Opening With Banks, But Mobile Is In The Mix We asked 255 US online adults about how they interacted with a bank when opening their child’s first financial account. With a person at a branch/office: 48%. Mobile app on my smartphone: 29%. Website on my smartphone: 22%. Online chat with a person: 19%. Over the phone: 18%. Website on my computer: 17%.

Although digital platforms play a significant role, physical branches continue to be influential. Improving the digital experience throughout the customer’s research and purchasing journey is essential for digital banking executives who want customers to open a checking account online.

Just 43% of banking customers in Singapore agreed that their bank communicates with them plainly. Once again DBS (48%) was a leader in this driver, along with Citibank and HSBC (47% each), anchored by UOB with the lowest positive rate in the industry of just 34%. Equip branch employees to answer all of customers’ questions.

To drive CX, competent branch employees matter. The driver “branch employees answer all of my questions” moved from being the third-most important driver in 2025 to the most important CX driver in 2026. Consistent experience quality across interaction types — as well as mobile apps and banking products/services that are suited to customers’ needs — are also now among the top drivers of CX.

Enable branch employees to answer all customer questions. This driver rose from fourth last year to second most impactful in 2025. Yet just 57% of French banking customers say that the banks we studied do this. Crédit Mutuel is the best performer, with 69% agreeing that the bank has this trait (the same score it achieved in 2024), followed by Banque Populaire at 60% and Crédit Agricole and LCL at 58%. Process transactions quickly.