Banks eye non-bank partners
A new industry survey found 85% of banks’ corporate clients plan to engage non-bank financial institutions within the next year — signaling a shift in advisory demand and product sourcing reported. That opens opportunity for mid-market consultancies to sell nimble, tech-enabled finance and operations advisory outside legacy banking channels.
Corporate clients told Capgemini they expect real‑time responsiveness (58%), personalized engagement (49%) and innovative solutions (40%), yet only 23% say current CIBs meet those needs — the gap Capgemini highlights as driving demand for external providers. (capgemini.com) Capgemini also reports banks plan to bolster AI expertise via external hires (40%), a signal that advisory work tied to AI-enabled product delivery and integration is becoming a direct sourcing opportunity. (capgemini.com) Mid‑market firms are positioning to capture that work: West Monroe published a 2026 Financial Services outlook and maintains an active banking and operations job search with multiple open roles this quarter. (westmonroe.com) Slalom advertises operations and process‑improvement services that apply AI and an “ACES” methodology and has current openings for process‑mining and operational‑improvement consultants. (slalom.com) Alvarez & Marsal’s Private Equity Performance Improvement practice posted a PEPI Manager, Operations & Manufacturing on Jan 5, 2026 and continues hiring across performance‑improvement and deal‑execution roles. (careers.alvarezandmarsal.com) Talent channels and larger boutiques show demand signals: Outsized lists a curated platform of 60,000+ independent FS specialists for on‑demand deployment, while FTI Consulting’s careers pages show open roles in transaction services, integrations and restructuring. (outsized.com) Current job descriptions from Slalom, West Monroe and A&M prioritize process mining and continuous‑improvement experience, systems implementation and strategic‑finance or performance‑improvement capabilities — the technical skills firms cite as needed to deliver bank/non‑bank integrations. (levels.fyi)
