Canada’s big banks exceeded expectations for the 2025 fiscal year as capital markets and wealth management carried results. But economic uncertainty loomed over results. Adverse trade policy and a cooling labor market were hot topics, and there are risks of consumer credit stress. Threats to Canada’s economic wellbeing abound, which will trickle down to banks’ businesses. In the meantime, restructuring will likely distract management teams, slowing response to changing business conditions.

Fintechs, big tech, and payment players are using genAI to redefine finance. To compete, banks must pair strategic genAI investment with hyper-personalization and human support to earn customer trust and loyalty.

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) plans to grow its US banking operations by acquiring highly sought-after wealth-management firms, per Private Banker International. According to CEO Dave McKay, the bank wants advisers who can attract new clients as well as firms that bring in sweep deposits, which will strengthen RBC’s funding base. With this strategy, RBC intends to build, scale, and deepen client relationships quickly, leveraging existing capital strength. But because the US wealth market is very competitive, RBC must prioritize building its US brand recognition to bolster its chance of post-acquisition success.

The news: Despite lingering uncertainty from tariff wars, five of Canada’s Big Six Banks beat analyst expectations in Q3 2025, per Bloomberg. Our take: Strong Q3 results provide a critical opportunity for Canadian banks to proactively fortify their balance sheets against known future risks. While lower loan loss provisions signal a better credit environment, the lingering threat of rising unemployment means this may not last. Banks should use this period of outperformance to conservatively build reserves, tighten lending standards for higher-risk clients, and prioritize stability and risk management over short-term loan growth.

This follows a longer-term strategy of focusing its operations.

Our fifth annual study ranks Canada’s top seven banks on mobile app innovation, based on an exclusive survey about what features consumers value most.

As their clients await the impacts of tariffs, banks set aside money for losses.

Our fourth annual study reveals which of the seven largest Canadian banks lead in mobile app innovation, based on an exclusive survey around which features consumers value most.​

Consumers’ adoption of AI banking chatbots varies by country. Though the US and UK promote their tech-friendly banking environments, the geographically concentrated, Big-Six-focused Canadian market has taken the lead in embracing this much-hyped tech.

JPMorgan and Capital One dominated the top spots across all categories, demonstrating their investment in expert staff.

Mobile P2P payments are struggling to capture users in Canada. But banks and digital wallet providers can lean into their respective strengths to create a rosier outlook for growth.

Consumers value features that protect their accounts and financial data, based on our exclusive survey data and analysis of 42 emerging features from the seven largest Canadian financial institutions in their mobile banking apps.

This third annual study ranks the seven largest Canadian banks (by domestic asset size) based on their support for 42 emerging mobile banking features, weighted by consumer demand for each feature.

We break down consumer demand for emerging mobile banking features and bank performance by category to identify the most important tools Canadian banks should prioritize.

Royal Bank of Canada has agreed to buy HSBC’s Canadian arm in a move to strengthen its domestic dominance.