What needs to be on your 2025 product roadmap? As technology evolves and customer expectations increase, products must now go beyond “fit-for-purpose.”
Today, customers expect banking features to be seamlessly embedded into their digital experiences. Whether paying for a ride, managing a subscription, or transferring money with a few taps, the new standard is clear: financial services should be fast and friction-free.
To meet this demand, embedded banking is no longer a “nice-to-have”—it’s a competitive necessity. In the year ahead, product leaders need to capitalize on these capabilities and unlock the opportunities that come with them.
What is embedded banking and why does it matter?
From fintech and HR tech to prop tech and travel, embedded banking integrates essential banking services—such as accounts, cards, and payments—directly into non-financial platforms. This integration allows users to access banking features without leaving the environment they’re already using, simplifying their experience and improving productivity.
Embedding banking features isn’t just about convenience. It transforms your product into a one-stop solution, allowing you to:
- Enhance user experience: Meeting the evolving customer expectations for convenience and speed by streamlining their financial workflows.
- Unlock new revenue streams: Generating income from financial transactions like payments or account fees without needing a banking license.
- Increase customer retention: Keeping users in your ecosystem by eliminating the need to switch between apps for financial tasks.
Whether it's managing finances within an accounting platform, booking business travel, or paying expenses in real time, embedded banking makes financial tasks fast, intuitive, and almost invisible. The result? A product that is not only more competitive but that also drives profitability. So the question is no longer if but how embedded banking will be part of your roadmap.
“We’ve integrated a banking product into the ecosystem our users already know. It’s been a super simple process which has translated into higher usage and activation metrics, and a greater overall satisfaction.”
Sergi Tomas Heras, Senior VP of Operations, Payflow
3 trends to shape your product roadmap
There are three key factors shaping how businesses operate and how customers interact with digital services. These trends mean that now is the time to embed banking features into your product. Getting ahead of them will give you a competitive advantage and help you unlock new growth opportunities. Let’s explore.
1. Embedded banking becomes the new standard
In response to the demand for streamlined experiences, companies are embedding banking features directly into their native product ecosystem. In addition, it's about offering value and differentiation. On one hand, integrated banking features have become the new standard. If you want to stay competitive and scale, embedded banking is now a “must-have”. Pierre-Antoine Glandier, CEO at Libeo, shares;
“Embedding banking features directly into the platform our users already love is a great way to improve the user experience.”
On the other hand, the barrier to entry to offer banking features is much lower. For example, where once you would have had to hire a compliance team, set up a risk management process, and be audited, you can now outsource the regulatory burden. As a result, you can distribute banking features—white-labeled under your brand—while benefiting from Swan’s sophisticated banking infrastructure.
“By relying on Swan to cover the burden of regulation and banking ops, bunch meets all regional requirements without fuss. The team was thrilled to be able to focus all its energy entirely on creating the best possible experience for our investor customers.”
Levent Altunel, Co-Founder, bunch
2. AI and automation become part of business DNA
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation are reshaping both back-office operations and front-end experiences. From predictive analytics to A/B testing, AI helps product leaders make smarter, faster decisions. Automation then streamlines processes like expense categorization and invoice reconciliation, reducing manual processes and costs while improving user satisfaction.
AI-driven insights, like predictive financial modeling or transaction categorization, enable products with embedded banking to anticipate user needs and proactively offer personalized services. For example, predictive modeling can identify cashflow patterns to alert businesses about potential cash shortages or suggest optimal times for payroll processing. Similarly, transaction categorization with machine learning enhances spending insights and budgeting recommendations. This gives end-users access to actionable, real-time advice on expense management and cost optimizations.
In the year ahead, AI and automation will be key to delivering better, more efficient user experiences. When combined with embedded banking, these technologies can simplify your user experience and unlock more scalable, efficient workflows.
“The rise of AI opens up powerful possibilities, especially when applied to payment data and banking integration. For example, we could predict the cash flow needs of homeowner associations months in advance or alert property managers if they risk going into the red without adjusting.”
Enrique Sanchez, Product Lead, IESA
3. Sustainability as a strategic priority
Sustainability is increasingly a priority for both consumers and companies, and embedded banking can be a powerful driver of eco-conscious solutions. For example, embedded virtual card solutions cut down on plastic usage and logistics emissions associated with traditional card production and delivery. Payment categorization enables real-time tracking of carbon footprints based on spending data, allowing users to make greener spending choices and companies to offer insights on how to minimize environmental impact.
As regulatory pressure increases and both consumers and companies prioritize sustainable sourcing, embedding banking features builds customer loyalty while streamlining new compliance requirements. For B2B solutions, embedded banking will increasingly be able to support sustainability by offering customers insights into sustainable spending. For example, categorizing expenses can allow users to track whether their vendors or services align with specific sustainability goals.
At Swan, we're committed to reducing our carbon footprint—read more about our sustainability efforts here. When exploring the opportunities of pairing AI with embedded banking David Raya, Product Lead at IESA (which operates in the housing association space), shares; “We could detect unusual spikes in water or energy usage—often early signs of system breakdowns—and identify optimal consumption patterns to help communities save resources and contribute to a more sustainable world.”
Creating buy-in for your embedded banking project
Integrating and launching your accounts, cards, or payment features requires a cross-functional effort. To create internal buy-in and effectively bring new features to market, align them with your broader business goals. This alignment calls for a strategic approach that taps into its potential for revenue diversification and customer engagement.
Product teams should communicate the benefits clearly to all stakeholders by demonstrating how these features directly support core objectives such as entering new market segments, increasing feature usage, or improving customer experience. Florent Tardivel, Chief Commercial Officer at Swan, shares; ”After supporting over 100 product teams in launching their solutions, we’ve seen firsthand how critical it is to establish a clear link between an embedded banking project and broader business goals. When every department is aligned on this goal, it builds stronger support and ensures a unified commitment to maximize the product launch impact".
"A well-integrated launch strategy not only speeds up adoption but also drives lasting value by positioning the feature as a core part of the company’s growth vision”.
Certain stakeholders are most engaged by the revenue potential. When you partner with Swan as your Banking-as-a-Service provider, you can benefit from our revenue-sharing initiative. In some cases, adding banking features also means you will have a justified increase in your subscription price, further boosting revenue growth.
Embedded banking features create a stickier ecosystem, where customers benefit from a more holistic, seamless experience, increasing retention and deepening engagement. When banking services are a core offering rather than a separate process, customers are less likely to look elsewhere, creating long-term value for your business. With an array of benefits, be sure to pitch the right value to the relevant stakeholders.
Why 2025 is the year to embrace embedded banking
The tolerance of having separate workflows for core business activities and financial services is at an all-time low. As we move into the new year, it’s critical to deliver to the new standard; where banking features are integrated into the everyday digital experience of your users. For product leaders, now is the time to put embedded banking at the forefront of your roadmap and leverage its potential to shape the future of your business.
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