Riverty Launches ‘Fintech 2040’ Vision Paper to Ignite Strategic Dialogue Around the Future of Finance

As the fintech industry prepares for a turbulent summer shaped by economic uncertainty, evolving regulation, and fast-moving AI disruption, Riverty today launched its flagship position paper, “Fintech 2040: Trajectories for the Evolution of the Fintech Ecosystem.”

Authored by Prof. Dr. Roland Frank and supported by Riverty, the paper provides a bold, research-based look at the technological, regulatory, and consumer shifts that will reshape the financial value chain over the next 15 years — anchored around eight bold predictions:

1. Money that thinks and acts for you
   In the future, finance will no longer be a passive tool. AI will autonomously manage your finances, making real-time decisions and adjustments to optimize your financial health.
2. Your financial sidekick? An AI that knows you better
   AI will evolve into a proactive, personalized financial assistant that understands you at a deeper level — your goals, habits, and even emotions — to help guide smarter financial decisions.
3. One-size-fits-all finance is dead
   The era of generic financial products is over. In the future, finance will be hyper-personalized, tailored to the unique needs and circumstances of everyone.
4. Traditional banking will fade away — but not your money
   The concept of traditional banking as we know it will fade into the background, replaced by decentralized finance and fintech solutions that provide seamless financial services with greater transparency and flexibility.
5. Banks as we know them will change significantly
   By 2040, traditional banks will have largely vanished, overtaken by fintechs and platforms offering more direct and flexible financial services — with banks relegated to back-end functions.
6. Banking the unbanked will be the default
   With the power of mobile and AI, financial inclusion will reach new heights. The once unbanked population will have access to financial services, making banking accessible to everyone, everywhere.
7. Emotions will drive smarter money decisions
   Future financial tools will be emotion-aware, allowing users to make decisions that align with their personal circumstances, including their emotional well-being, risk tolerance, and long-term goals.
8. Unbreakable trust with quantum security
   Quantum computing will revolutionize cybersecurity in the fintech sector, providing unbreakable encryption that ensures financial data and transactions are entirely secure from cyber threats.

“In a market often dominated by short-term noise, we believe now is the moment to lift our gaze”, said Andreas Barth, CEO of Riverty. “As part of the Bertelsmann family of companies, we have the privilege — and responsibility — to take the long view. This paper is not just about prediction. It’s about creating the space to think bigger, challenge assumptions, and make the strategic moves today that will shape the ecosystem of 2040.”

The paper outlines key scenarios for how the Order-to-Cash (O2C) value chain will evolve, emphasizing convergence across payments, lending, insurance, and consumption. It also introduces an “adaptation model” for fintech players to evaluate which technologies offer quick wins, long-term bets, or dead ends.

“By 2040, finance will be ambient, hyper-personalized, and largely autonomous,” noted Prof. Dr. Roland Frank, who led the research. “But this future isn’t just about innovation — it’s about strategic readiness. Our aim with this paper is to help both startups and incumbents navigate complexity with clarity and vision.”

Fintech 2040 is the first of several thought leadership initiatives Riverty will roll out this year, including executive roundtables and industry briefings. The company’s long-term ambition is to convene a think tank of visionary leaders across fintech, academia, policy, and beyond — to drive collaborative insight into the opportunities and challenges of financial transformation.