In The AI Era, Banks Need Dynamic Platforms — Results From The Forrester Wave™: Digital Banking Engagement Platforms, Q2 2026

2026-04-24 · Source: Featured Blogs - Forrester · Field: Finance & Economics — FinTech & Digital Financial Services, Banking & Financial Services · Depth: Intermediate, quick

Summary

Forrester's new report, "The Forrester Wave™: Digital Banking Engagement Platforms, Q2 2026," analyzes the current AI and technology landscape in banking, highlighting the continued critical role of Digital Banking Engagement Platforms (DBEPs). The research indicates that while DBEPs remain essential for competitive advantage in the AI era, their function is evolving from prebuilt offerings to platforms enabling rapid exploration and development of new products by banks and partners. The report also notes a shift in DBEP audience, with increased focus on no-code and low-code capabilities enhanced by generative AI, exemplified by Backbase's agent studio. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that while many vendors claim "API-first" and "AI-native" approaches, practical implementation often falls short, with Infosys Finacle cited for its effective use of proprietary genAI in conversational interfaces.

Key takeaway

For CTOs and AI Architects evaluating digital banking infrastructure, recognize that DBEPs are evolving into innovation platforms, not just product delivery systems. Prioritize vendors demonstrating robust, functional API integrations and proven, applied AI capabilities, rather than just marketing claims. Your selection should support rapid development and partner collaboration, leveraging low-code and generative AI for enhanced agility.

Key insights

DBEPs remain vital for banking competitiveness, shifting towards enabling rapid innovation and leveraging AI-enhanced low-code tools.

Principles

• DBEPs are essential for competitive advantage.
• API-first claims often lack practical integration.
• AI claims require demonstrable application.

Method

Leading DBEPs provide toolkits for developers to test and measure new products, and offer low-code agent studios for building new agentic workflows, often enhanced by generative AI models.

In practice

• Utilize Q2's toolkit for product testing.
• Explore Backbase's agent studio for low-code workflows.
• Evaluate Infosys Finacle's genAI for conversational interfaces.

Topics

• Digital Banking Engagement Platforms
• AI in Banking
• Low-code/No-code Development
• API-first Strategy
• Generative AI

Best for: CTO, Executive, AI Architect, Director of AI/ML, Consultant, VP of Engineering/Data

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Featured Blogs - Forrester.