Fintech usage has crossed a threshold from novelty to normalized behavior: nearly 60% of Gen Z adults report using crypto and one‑tap payments via wearables are increasingly embedded in everyday…
US
FinTech
Consumer Attitudes
simple
US Consumer Attitudes toward Fintech: 2026
"As money management disperses across wearables, wallets, and even retail platforms, fintechs that embed themselves into consumers' day‑to‑day lives are positioned to define the next phase of their growth."
Fintech usage has crossed a threshold from novelty to normalized behavior: nearly 60% of Gen Z adults report using crypto and one‑tap payments via wearables are increasingly embedded in everyday spending patterns. As financial activity diffuses across smartphones, smartwatches, and even retail platforms, consumers are shifting their expectations – banking functions should interact seamlessly within the digital environments they already use.
Within this landscape, the opportunity for embedded, low‑friction financial services is growing. Providers that integrate into high‑frequency consumer touchpoints can establish habitual engagement early, often before rival consideration occurs. At the same time, the risk of disintermediation for legacy FIs is rising: as tech ecosystems capture more of the customer interface, incumbent FIs face the prospect of being relegated to more of a back-seat role, with diminished access to customers’ day-to-day financial lives, share-of-attention, and fewer cross‑sell pathways.
This report looks at the following areas:
Market factors affecting the fintech space
Interest in, and adoption of, fintech
Openness to banking with non-banks
Attitudes toward fintech
Channels used to interact with financial services providers
Fintech marketing trends
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
What you need to know
Outlook for Consumers and Fintech
Opportunities
Wearables are becoming a go-to daily payment
Graph 1: adoption of wearable payment devices, by household income, 2024-26
Wearable adoption creates partnership-driven engagement opportunities for FIs
SMS can deepen borrowing relationships
Graph 2: openness to bank texts about new products/offers, by financial product ownership, 2026
Financial Wrappeds can serve as timely product nudges
Graph 3: interest in banks providing annual financial roundups (eg Spotify wrapped), by generation, 2024-26
THE MARKET
Embedded finance is shifting the financial battlefield to platforms consumers already trust
Economic pressures will lead LIHs toward fintechs
Graph 4: % of consumers financially worse off over the past 12 months, by household income, 2025
Digital assets are moving into a more defined regulatory structure
THE CONSUMER
Interest in and adoption of fintech
Prime credit bands remain an addressable audience for bank BNPL
Graph 5: usage of pure-play vs bank BNPL, by self-reported credit score, 2026
Financial strain breeds greater interest in money-management tools
Graph 6: interest in financial management tools through FI, by financial situation, 2026
Crypto adoption is soaring among Gen Zers, while older adults’ adoption is more cyclical
Graph 7: cryptocurrency adoption, by generation, 2021-26
Openness to banking with non-banks
Account consideration is shifting toward the retail giants
Graph 8: non-banks consumers would open an account with, 2021-26
There is significant interest in opening core banking products with non-banks
Graph 9: accounts consumers would be interested in opening with a non-bank, by generation, 2026
Diverse card preferences open the door for acquisition opportunities across credit bands
Graph 10: accounts consumers would be interested in opening with a non-bank, by self-reported credit score, 2026
Attitudes toward fintech
Mobile wallets are settling into a habitual payment solution
Graph 11: % of consumers that prefer using a mobile wallet to make purchases, by generation, 2024-26
Foreign-born consumers remain an addressable market for inclusive credit scoring
Preference toward human advisors is not wealth-driven
Graph 12: attitudes toward human advisory, by household investable assets, 2026
Trust in legacy FIs diverges by financial health
Graph 13: attitudes toward legacy FIs vs fintechs, by financial situation, 2026
Channels used to interact with financial providers
Stagnating mobile preferences signal the channel’s maturity
Graph 14: channels used to interact most often with providers, 2019-26
Older consumers are slowly catching up on mobile adoption
Graph 15: mobile app usage as the most frequent interaction channel with providers, by generation, 2021-26
INNOVATION AND MARKETING
Cash App is “making crypto everyday money”
Cross-border credit history is becoming a practical underwriting solution
Discover ties rewards to wallet usage
Orange County’s Credit Union positions its branch as an engagement hub
APPENDIX
The consumer
Consumer research questions
Consumer research methodology – US
US generations groups
Abbreviations
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