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Financial Services Firms Identified Growth Constraints

Data fragmentation and marketing attribution challenges remain primary hurdles for financial services leaders.

Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Financial Services

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Financial services leaders surveyed by Mole Street and HubSpot report that fragmented data and operational silos remain the primary barriers to firm growth. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Mole Street and HubSpot surveyed 270 U.S. financial services leaders, revealing that fragmented data and difficulties proving marketing returns impede growth. These operational gaps have led firms to prioritize AI and CRM investments over the next 12 months.

Why it matters

Financial services firms struggle to scale due to organizational silos and poor data integration, which directly limit client experience and marketing effectiveness. Addressing these technology hurdles is now a primary focus for leaders aiming to balance customer acquisition and retention.

Thirty percent of 270 surveyed financial services leaders identified marketing attribution and fragmented data as growth barriers, while 78% reported that organizational silos limit client experience. Only 50% of firms currently utilize a fully integrated customer relationship management system.

The players

Mole Street

A West Chester, PA-based firm that implements and migrates clients to HubSpot to connect banking and operational systems.

HubSpot

A provider of customer relationship management software used by financial services firms to manage marketing and client data.

The details

Operational silos prevent firms from achieving a unified view of the customer, often caused by disconnected systems that fail to communicate. Firms that migrate to integrated platforms like HubSpot can bridge these gaps, allowing for better alignment between sales, marketing, and client experience teams. Advanced AI adopters are already seeing results, with 68% reporting significant improvements in client retention and 76% achieving higher team alignment compared to traditional configurations.

Timeline

  1. Leaders plan to prioritize AI and CRM technology investments over the next 12 months.

  2. Findings will be presented on October 20, 2026, at Money20/20 USA in Las Vegas.

Market Landscape

This report follows the trend of industry analysts utilizing major conferences like Money20/20 USA to baseline the adoption of AI and CRM tools against historical growth constraints. It highlights a departure from legacy manual integration as firms shift toward unified data architectures.

Operators should evaluate whether their internal data silos are driving high acquisition costs and lower retention rates. Prioritizing the integration of CRM systems is the recommended operational step to prepare for the industry-wide shift toward AI-driven client management.

The takeaway

Firms without integrated CRM systems are increasingly disadvantaged in both client acquisition and retention. Operators should conduct a 12-month technology audit to determine if their current data infrastructure supports or hinders these growth priorities.

What happens next

Leaders will present detailed findings at the Money20/20 USA conference in Las Vegas on October 20, 2026.

Further reading

For more on industry technology shifts, see the Financial Services section.

Source note: This article includes information reported by MyChesCo.

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Do you plan to adopt artificial intelligence to improve your customer service or business operations?