Financial providers are ready for agentic AI onboarding, but consumers aren’t

According to a comprehensive study released by Signicat, a European leader in digital identity and fraud prevention solutions, 65% of European consumers welcome AI assistance with financial applications, but only under the strict condition that they retain ultimate control over the final decisions. The report, titled The Battle to Onboard 2026: The AI Reality Check, explores the shifting attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions surrounding digital identity, verification, and online trust as both consumers and financial service providers step into the agentic AI era.

The research also casts a critical light on the current state of digital onboarding across the continent. Despite years of heavy technological investment aimed at streamlining user experiences, the study found that 60% of European consumers still abandon an online financial application before completing the process. While this figure shows a modest improvement compared to the 68% abandonment rate recorded in Signicat’s 2022 report, industry experts argue that the persistent friction in digital onboarding remains a glaring systemic issue.

Dr Leda Glyptis, Board Chair at Bourn AI, pointed out the stark reality facing the financial sector during an analysis of the new data. She noted that it is startling how years of digital investment have failed to significantly lower the percentage of abandoned online applications. According to Dr Glyptis, this stagnation indicates that the financial industry as a whole is still failing to listen properly to consumers or fully understand their core red lines. She emphasized that this operational gap, which the industry has largely overlooked up until now, represents the primary competitive opportunity for forward-thinking institutions today.

The comprehensive study delves deeply into the complexities of digital onboarding, consumer psychology, and the emerging technological shift toward agentic AI—artificial intelligence systems capable of executing multi-step tasks independently to achieve a specific goal set by a human user. As financial institutions look toward a landscape where software agents negotiate products, fill out complex regulatory forms, and verify identities seamlessly, the research underscores a profound tension between institutional ambition and consumer hesitation.

Interestingly, the research uncovered a fascinating paradox regarding regional digital maturity and AI acceptance: digitally advanced markets are not necessarily the ones most willing to embrace an agentic AI future. Norway, for instance, leads Europe in its preference for and reliance on secure digital identification systems. Yet, the study reveals that Norway is simultaneously the market least comfortable with the prospect of an AI agent opening a financial product on a consumer’s behalf, with a striking 79% of respondents expressing discomfort with the idea.

This sentiment is echoed across other Nordic nations. Finland and Sweden display very similar patterns of hesitation, with 78% and 73% of consumers respectively stating they are uncomfortable with autonomous AI agents executing financial account openings for them. In the United Kingdom, the reluctance remains similarly high, where 69% of consumers report feeling uncomfortable with the idea of an AI agent initiating and finalizing a financial product on their behalf. These regional figures highlight that high familiarity with digital infrastructure does not automatically translate into a willingness to trust autonomous systems with sensitive financial transactions.

Industry leaders suggest that this hesitation is a natural part of a broader historical cycle of technological adoption within banking and finance. Emma Bauer, Chief Product Officer at Signicat, drew parallels between the current skepticism toward agentic AI and past innovations that initially frightened consumers before becoming ubiquitous parts of everyday life. She noted that the gap between provider expectations and consumer comfort with artificial intelligence is an issue that financial services have faced many times before, pointing to the historical rollout of online banking and contactless payments as prime examples.

Bauer also pointed out that the relatively recent, widespread rise of customer service and operational chatbots has demonstrated how quickly AI adoption can scale when user interfaces become familiar. However, she stressed that the speed at which agentic AI achieves mainstream consumer acceptance, and which specific financial providers are best positioned to benefit from the shift, will depend entirely on building robust trust. According to Bauer, institutions must ensure that people, businesses, and AI agents can interact securely and with absolute confidence.

Achieving this level of trust within the financial ecosystem requires immediate, proactive preparation from service providers. Bauer highlighted that financial institutions must begin implementing advanced technological safeguards now, pointing specifically to real-time fraud prevention mechanisms and the development of comprehensive Know Your Agent frameworks to regulate how autonomous software interacts with banking infrastructure.

As financial service providers grapple with these shifting consumer expectations and the technological demands of the agentic AI era, the path forward will require a delicate balance between driving digital efficiency and respecting consumer boundaries. The full report, detailing regional breakdowns, behavioral insights, and strategic recommendations for navigating digital identity and onboarding in 2026, is publicly available through the Signicat platform.