Survey of 2,000 consumers and 200 banking leaders finds speed and convenience are now table stakes — while Banking AI can help preserve the personalized service that sets community institutions apart

Regional and community financial institutions hold a clear relationship advantage over megabanks and fintechs, but rising consumer demands for speed and convenience are putting that loyalty to the test, according to new research from Glia, the #1 Banking AI platform.

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Regional and community financial institutions hold a clear relationship advantage over megabanks and fintechs, but rising consumer demands for speed and convenience are putting that loyalty to the test, according to new research from Glia, the #1 Banking AI platform.

Glia’s new 2026 Banking AI Consumer and Leader Survey report draws on surveys of 2,000 U.S. bank and credit union customers and 200 senior financial institution leaders. The findings reveal a growing generational trust gap and highlight how service friction threatens long-term customer retention, especially as an estimated $84 trillion wealth transfer reshapes the financial landscape over the next 15 years.

Key research takeaways include:

• Generational loyalty is rapidly eroding among younger account holders. Just 44% of Gen Z consumers describe their primary bank or credit union as a trusted partner, compared with 57% of Baby Boomers. Furthermore, 58% of Gen Z consumers considered switching financial institutions in the past year, compared to only 17% of Boomers.
• Friction can quickly put customer loyalty at risk. Fifty-five percent of all consumers say a 10-minute wait for service would threaten their loyalty, while 42% are more likely to switch after three or more frustrating service experiences.
• Younger consumers have less patience for service friction. Sixty-three percent of Gen Z consumers say they would be likely to switch financial institutions after three or more frustrating customer service experiences, compared with 37% of Boomers. Gen Z consumers are nearly 3x more likely than Boomers to consider switching institutions after a 10-minute wait.
• AI is already becoming part of younger consumers’ financial lives. Forty-six percent of Gen Z respondents say they often or very often use AI tools to analyze their finances or help make financial decisions, compared with 37% of Millennials, 14% of Gen X and just 5% of Boomers.
• Digital expectations have not eliminated demand for human service. Twenty-seven percent of Gen Z consumers say the branch is their first stop when they need customer service — not far behind the 33% of Boomers who say the same.
• Community institutions still hold a meaningful relationship advantage. Fifty-seven percent of community bank and credit union customers describe their institution as a trusted partner, compared with 48% of big-bank customers. Community institution customers are also more likely to describe the relationship as “very warm” (52% versus 43%).

“The Great Wealth Transfer creates a pivotal moment of opportunity — and risk — for community institutions," said Dan Michaeli, co-founder and CEO of Glia. "They can do nothing and watch deposits walk out the door to megabanks and fintechs, or they can adapt. Banking AI helps institutions strengthen the personalized relationships and community impact they've invested in for decades while also delivering the instant, effortless experiences that younger generations now expect.”

The research points to a banking experience that is becoming increasingly blended rather than simply digital or human. Consumers are most receptive to AI handling routine interactions (where speed and convenience matter), while continuing to prefer human support for more complex needs. That dynamic could be especially important for community institutions competing against megabanks and fintechs. Among financial institution leaders surveyed, 27% identify an inferior digital experience as a top concern when competing with megabanks, rising to 38% when competing with fintechs.

To close this gap, more than 700 regional and community financial institutions have turned to the Glia Banking AI platform. By connecting interactions, institutional knowledge, and workflow automation, Glia enables institutions to deliver instant, 24/7 service while freeing human staff to deliver highly-personalized support and fuel growth. The result is a modernized banking experience that satisfies rising expectations for speed without sacrificing the community connection at the heart of local banking.

"The data validates what we see across our customer base every day — institutions adopting Banking AI aren't just keeping up, they're winning on service," added Michaeli. "Compared to their peers, leaders at institutions powered by Glia are twice as satisfied with their AI technology, 21% more likely to deploy AI across customer and agent interactions, and 42% more likely to identify personalized service as their primary goal for AI adoption. As the Great Wealth Transfer accelerates, these institutions prove that removing operational friction doesn't replace the human touch — it turns it into your strongest competitive differentiator."

The full 2026 Banking AI Consumer and Leader Survey report is available now for complimentary download. Banking and credit union executives can secure their copy, register for the upcoming webinar, and learn more about navigating evolving consumer preferences with Banking AI by visiting glia.com.

About Glia

Glia is the #1 Banking AI platform, empowering community and regional financial institutions to create efficiencies, accelerate loan growth, drive deposits, and deliver experiences that win against megabanks and fintechs. Glia’s Banking AI combines intelligence, knowledge, and action into a single agentic framework, activating an AI workforce of specialized agents that draw from banking data, interaction history, and integrated systems of record. Banking-trained AI agents automate workflows across voice and digital — from front office to back office — resulting in decreased operational costs and the Universal Banker model. Trusted by 700+ banks and credit unions for its ironclad security and reliability, Glia provides the foundational trust institutions need to safely scale AI. It’s why Glia customers quickly and confidently put Banking AI to work with measurable results from day one. Learn more at glia.com.

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