The Evolving Financial Industry | Balancing AI, Compliance + Creativity in 2025

The financial services industry has never been known for moving fast, but in 2025, the pressure is on. With artificial intelligence (AI) redefining customer engagement, fintech innovations raising consumer expectations, and tighter regulations around data privacy, marketing leaders in finance are rethinking how they show up, connect, and grow.

We spoke with Maureen Kelly, the Head of Brand and Content Marketing at Hiscox USA, about how she manages content, brand, and design for a major insurance company to get her take on how the landscape is shifting, and what it really feels like to be on the inside of this transformation.

Fintech Innovations Are Reshaping the Playing Field

Emerging fintech players have dramatically raised consumer expectations for personalization, speed, and ease of use. According to Forbes, AI-driven personalization is now standard, helping financial brands tailor messaging and offers in real time.

But keeping pace inside heavily regulated organizations is no easy task. As Kelly shared, "You feel like you're always trying to catch up, and the companies don't always have the resources to invest in these areas. You need to choose which you want to tackle first. And now with AI coming out—we know we need to embrace—and we’re taking baby steps into it."

In an environment where compliance and innovation must coexist, marketing leaders are carefully piloting new tools while safeguarding trust.

The Balance of Data Goldmines and Guardrails

Flex360 highlights that first-party data is more reliable and compliant with privacy regulations compared to third-party data, making it the most valuable asset for marketers in finance.

However, leveraging this data comes with heightened scrutiny. 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized a rule in the Dodd-Frank Act, mandating that financial institutions provide consumers with access to their personal financial data, giving more power to the consumer and protecting privacy.

Financial institutions are prioritizing first-party data collection while navigating increasing privacy regulations.

Kelly put it this way: "We sit on a gold mine with customer data. And when you're a brand marketer, you're always looking for those stories and those nuggets to pull out, but you also have to be careful with the data and how you go about finding the customers."

In regulated sectors, marketing innovation isn’t just about what you can do, it’s about making sure you do it the right way.

"We’ll cross every T and dot every I before we do anything we shouldn't do."

AI is Not a Replacement

AI’s role in financial marketing continues to grow, particularly in content generation, creative brainstorming, and automation. AI is undoubtedly enhancing creativity and efficiency across industries, but many experts advise that it must be used with a human hand guiding it.

Kelly sees AI as a powerful first step or draft, not a finished product.

"AI is something that my designers are starting to dabble with. The content team is not doing something where they're asking a generative platform and copying and pasting. It just helps us generate ideas, thoughts, and brainstorm sessions."

And most importantly, "It makes for a great first draft. Nothing's a finished product. It requires a human to really finesse it and make it usable."

This mindset reflects a growing trend across the industry: use AI to speed up the process, but not to replace creativity or critical thinking.

Challenges Unique to the Financial Sector

While many industries are embracing AI and tech adoption freely, financial services face extra hurdles, from procurement bottlenecks to strict oversight.

"Even accessing things like AI or new tools, procurement is one of the biggest hurdles we have to get over," she explained.

Building strong relationships with internal stakeholders and navigating compliance processes are just as important to marketing success as the campaigns themselves. This adds an extra layer of complexity, and makes flexibility and patience critical skills for financial marketers.

Proving marketing’s value to the C-Suite always comes with challenges, but every marketer deals with it and can learn from one another. We regularly interview CMOs and marketing leaders about their experience. Here is some advice they have about proving marketing’s value: 5 Ways to Prove Marketing’s Value to the C-Suite. 

The Future of Financial Marketing 

When asked what trends she believes will carry into 2026, the answer was clear: “AI isn’t even a trend. It's here to stay."

The future requires financial marketers to balance the speed and possibilities of AI with the regulatory rigor and human-centered strategy that define the industry. New tools will continue to change how marketing is executed, but not why marketing matters: building trust, delivering value, and creating authentic, resonant brand experiences.

As Sharon Carothers, Managing Director of SensisHealth, recently framed it:

“The heart of all this technology is human behavior—our emotions, our desires, and our need for real connection.” (Setup Blog: The Rise of AI)

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The financial brands that thrive won't be the ones who adopt every new tool first. They’ll be the ones who embrace new tools thoughtfully, safeguard customer trust fiercely, and let human creativity lead the way.