ISFB Insight
Banking roles are evolving, and the expected skill level is rising: the ISFB Observatory presented its initial findings to its members
August 31, 2026
On Wednesday, August 26, the ISFB Observatory on Banking and Financial Skills presented its initial findings to its members. Its first report includes eight contributions, including three research studies conducted in collaboration with the University of Geneva and a survey of 230 employees from various banks in French-speaking Switzerland. The common takeaway can be summed up in one sentence: artificial intelligence is transforming the nature of banking roles rather than eliminating them, and the expected level of skill is rising.
A qualitative restructuring rather than a contraction
The work of Dr. Erwan Bellard and Prof. Nathalie Delobbe (Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, UNIGE) provides an overview of the sector looking ahead to 2035, not from an economic perspective but from the perspective of skills development. “Workforce numbers remain generally stable, but behind this stability, jobs are becoming more specialized and redistributed, and they require higher levels of qualification,” notes Nathalie Delobbe. The two researchers identify four interrelated factors driving change: technology, sustainability, regulation, and customer expectations. “AI is the focus of attention, but the available data point to a gradual transformation of occupations rather than a sudden disruption. Value will lie in the ability to combine human skills with technology, and in the integration of three types of literacy: financial, digital, and sustainability,” explains Erwan Bellard.
What Employees Say
The survey conducted by Christelle Zagato, a Research and Survey Specialist at the ISFB Observatory and a doctoral student at the University of Fribourg, gives a voice to those most directly affected. 99% of the 230 respondents anticipate a transformation of their role by 2030–2035; 94% believe they will need to develop their skills to continue performing their jobs effectively. Regarding the source of this transformation: “Taken in isolation, AI is the most frequently cited factor. But when considered as a whole, it is the changing expectations of customers—particularly speed, simplicity, and personalization—that employees identify as the driving force behind the change,” observes Christelle Zagato. The second part of the survey shows, in particular, that a lack of desire to learn is never cited as a barrier to training; a lack of time is cited as the primary barrier.
Developing discernment, not just using the tool
ISFB psychologist Stéphane Bonzon reviewed a series of recent studies on generative AI in the workplace. “On standardized tasks, AI increases the speed and quality of work and narrows the gap between the lowest and highest performers. But as soon as the task requires critical judgment regarding heterogeneous or contradictory information, AI becomes a disruptive force. Its erroneous responses have an apparent coherence that fosters overconfidence and prevents people from realizing they have exceeded their capabilities,” he summarizes. He advocates for a controlled integration, based on human supervision and the strengthening of professional judgment.
A Shared Understanding of Competencies
“The changes we are documenting are gradual. A job title may remain the same while the nature of the work shifts. The ISFB Observatory observes, brings different perspectives together, and formulates hypotheses that will be confirmed or corrected by real-world experience. Job roles will evolve gradually, but one trend is already clear: the expected level of competence is rising in nearly all banking functions,”says Mathias Baitan, Executive Director of the ISFB.
Summary in a few points:
- Issue No. 1 of the ISFB Observatory features eight articles, including three research studies conducted in collaboration with the University of Geneva (FPSE) and a survey of 230 bank employees in French-speaking Switzerland.
- AI is transforming the nature of banking roles more than it is eliminating them: jobs are becoming more specialized, and the required skill level is rising.
- Four factors are driving change in the workplace: technology, sustainability, regulations, and shifting customer expectations.
- Overall, changing customer expectations are the main driver of change; taken on its own, however, AI is the most frequently cited factor.
- Employees are fully aware of these changes: 99% of employees surveyed expect their roles to change by 2030–2035, and 94% believe they need to strengthen their skills.
- The main obstacle to training that is most often cited is a lack of time
- AI improves performance on standardized tasks, but can be counterproductive when the work requires critical judgment, verification, and discernment.
- The priority, therefore, is to develop both professional judgment and a solid grasp of the fundamentals of finance and digital tools (financial and technical literacy).
- The Observatory’s key message: Jobs will evolve gradually, but one trend is already clear: the expected skill level is rising in nearly all banking roles.
About the ISFB Observatory on Banking and Financial Skills
Established in November 2025 within the ISFB, a nonprofit professional association founded in 1987, the Observatory is funded by eight local banks (BCGE, Bordier, EFG Bank, Indosuez Wealth Management in Switzerland, Lombard Odier, Mirabaud, Pictet, UBP) and relies on a research partnership with the University of Geneva. It does not comment on the industry’s overall direction or the decisions made by individual institutions; rather, it focuses on job roles, skills, training needs, and career transitions. Issue No. 1 will be available to the public in September at www.isfb.ch/observatoire.
About ISFB
The ISFB is the Competency and Career Center for banks and financial institutions in French-speaking Switzerland. The Institute offers services tailored to the banking and finance sector in the area of continuing education, as well as career management services (assessment, coaching, career counseling, outplacement, and recruitment). Founded in 1987 as a nonprofit professional association, the ISFB currently brings together more than fifty institutions in the banking and financial sector, as well as partners, throughout French-speaking Switzerland. The ISFB also operates the Observatory of Banking and Financial Skills, a tool for monitoring and forecasting trends in skills development for the French-speaking Swiss financial center.
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