The opinions expressed here are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UK Finance or its members.

We address topics such as efficiency, information gathering, and audit confirmations; this year we devoted two of our questions to automation, principally via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Most questions are open-ended, in that respondents can choose more than one answer.

Our 2025 banking survey identified two leading challenges and opportunities: complying with widening regulatory responsibilities (true for 61 per cent of participants), and adopting new technology for streamlined processes (also 61 per cent). Of the nine options presented by this question, competition from non-banks and fintechs was seen as the least pressing (4 per cent), with the commitment to ESG and sustainability transformation also relatively low at 18 per cent.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, only 12 per cent of North American respondents – fewer than last year – were intending to become more ESG-focused. However, this was not a universal view: the Asia-Pacific banks’ focus on ESG is up from 2024, now standing at half of those surveyed.

The number one goal is greater efficiency

The majority of survey participants said that using workflow improvements or automation to drive efficiencies is the top goal for their organisations (at 82 per cent). It was significantly more popular than the next highest objective: finding, training, and retaining top talent (55 per cent).

This was consistent with the response to our question about the challenges banks hope to solve when investing in automation or API technology – the most popular choice was the need to improve operational efficiency (79 per cent). It was followed by reducing operational costs (68 per cent) and strengthening security measures (64 per cent).

When asked to select one of four options for investing in automation and API technology, well over half of respondents (56 per cent) said they plan to do so in the next five years, 20 per cent of them this year. Such investments can offer quick, secure access to accurate data, as opposed to a reliance on obsolete technology.

Audit confirmations need to go digital - and fast

Despite banks pushing for efficiency, audit confirmations remain stuck in outdated workflows.

• 11 per cent of time is still spent on postal communications - a method highly vulnerable to fraud.
• 48 per cent of time goes to email confirmations, the most time-consuming and least secure channel.
• 34 per cent of time was spent on the Confirmation platform - a figure that we would expect to be far more efficient and productive with potential to handle far more volume, faster and more securely.

The case for digital is reinforced by what users value most:

• 33 per cent ranked timesaving as the top benefit of using Confirmation.
• 16 per cent each cited fraud mitigation and automation via APIs as key advantages.

The message is clear: digital audit confirmation isn’t just more efficient - it’s safer, smarter, and expected.

Banking professionals look online for their main information sources

The last question we asked was: “how do you stay informed about what’s happening in your industry?” Only a third attend in-person conferences, although industry associations and networking remain popular, at 58 per cent and 53 per cent respectively, demonstrating that inter-personal communication is still valued.

However, the various online information sources such as blogs, social media, newsletters, and websites are well ahead. Three-quarters of respondents are accessing these resources to stay up to date and find out what their peers have to say. And the key message from our survey? In an increasingly regulated, competitive environment, banks must embrace automation and digital solutions to be more efficient, productive and secure.