Alkami Technology, a digital sales and service platform provider for financial institutions in the U.S., released its new research, the 2026 Digital Banking Performance Metrics Report, commissioned by Alkami and conducted by Cornerstone Advisors. Now in its seventh year, the report expands beyond retail banking for the first time to include new benchmarks for business digital banking, while continuing to deliver insights into digital banking adoption, user engagement and performance trends.
The report shows that digital banking is firmly established as the primary channel for retail account holder interaction and is increasingly central in business banking. The retail findings highlight a nine-point increase in mobile activations from 2022 to 2025, digital loan applications crossing the 50% threshold for the first time and a meaningful increase in cross sales with account holder relationships on average expanding by 1.56 new products per user through the digital channel.
“Financial institutions need a digital banking metrics framework that does three things: focuses measurement on outcomes, not just activity; connects digital performance data to business goals; and distinguishes between metrics worth tracking and metrics worth managing to,” Ron Shevlin, chief research officer at Cornerstone Advisors, said. “There’s no limit to what a financial institution could measure.”
Key retail digital banking findings include:
- 87% of checking accounts are associated with active digital banking users, reflecting continued growth in digital banking adoption
- 82% of mobile banking users are actively engaged, reinforcing mobile as a primary channel for account holder interaction
- 51% of loan applications are now submitted through digital channels, marking a milestone for digital lending
- Financial institutions average 1.56 new products per digital banking user, highlighting the connection between engagement and growth
While digital adoption continues to rise in retail banking, friction remains in some channels. Account opening abandonment persists despite deliberate investments, and shifting usage patterns across tools like person-to-person payments and personal financial management suggest growing competition from third-party providers.
On the business side, those that are using treasury services are using them actively, but there are gaps in account opening, digital loan origination and other features that growing businesses expect from their financial institution, including real-time payments, integrated payables and receivables and cash flow forecasting.
Key business digital banking findings include:
- 78% of business accounts are active in digital banking, on average
- 75% of business accounts are actively using mobile banking applications
- 17% of financial institutions are offering digital account opening for businesses and are seeing just under 25% of their business accounts open online
- 20% of institutions are offering online business loan origination and see 37% of business loan dollar volume originated online
“Digital banking has become a primary driver of engagement and growth for financial institutions, and having clear performance benchmarks is critical to making informed decisions,” Marla Pieton, vice president, brand, public relations and influencer marketing at Alkami, said. “This report helps banks and credit unions better understand where they stand today, and where they can continue to evolve their digital strategies to meet the needs of both consumers and businesses.”
