Invela’s advisor Helen Child, Open Banking Excellence, gives her 2026 predictions on Smart Data and AI.

The UK’s data economy is accelerating fast, powered by the Data Use and Access Act and a shift from Open Banking to a fully connected Open Finance ecosystem. But ambition without protection is a false start. Trust, security, and resilience must scale as quickly as innovation – and 2026 will be the year that pressure becomes impossible to ignore.

AI is about to transform financial services from reactive to predictive, from personalised to truly autonomous. It will spot fraud before humans blink, tailor financial guidance in real time, and give regulators unprecedented visibility. But only those who pair innovation with integrity will win.

This is the moment to build Smart Data on solid ground. The future is coming fast – let’s meet it prepared.