Top 5 skills expected from new banking employees
Employers’ expectations of people entering banking and finance are changing.
In this age of AI and technological acceleration, it might be thought that this change is a simple one – a shift from traditional finance skills to technology skills.
But a spate of recent reports, notably the UK Financial Services Skills Commission’s May 2026 report – A Workforce Transformed, commissioned by HM Treasury, as well as CFA Institute Finance Skills Pulse Survey earlier this year, indicates that this is just a part of the broader picture.
Rather, it appears that employers consider a combination of financial knowledge fused with digital and AI capability as a foundation, but one that needs to be consolidated with applied problem-solving and human skills as well as judgment and adaptability.
Core Insights
- Employers expect applied knowledge. New banking employees need to use financial knowledge to solve business problems early in their careers.
- AI makes judgment more important. Employees need to understand and question AI-generated work, while remaining accountable for their decisions.
- Human skills help build trust. Clear communication and empathy support relationships with customers and effective collaboration with colleagues.
- Continuous learning is part of the job. As technology changes financial services, employees need to keep developing their skills and adapting to new ways of working.
In this article
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Applied knowledge vital for new banking employees
In the past, junior employees learned the business of banking and finance through routine work that is now being automated at scale. That, however, does not mean employers are expecting less of junior employees. On the contrary, it means that new entrants must demonstrate judgment, interpretation, and business understanding far earlier in their careers.
In the past, academic achievement alone implied a fair degree of competence on the part of the new employee. Qualifications in accounting, economics, financial mathematics, and banking products were the prerequisite, and employers could then teach the practical application.
Today, employees must be able to show they can apply these skills to a business problem. In other words, employees must demonstrate financial literacy as well as the ability to apply their knowledge.
From an educational standpoint, that means a shift towards the use of case studies, simulations, and problems rather than simple knowledge transmission. There is a clear distinction between knowing about the business of banking and being able to operate intelligently within the industry daily.
The ability to audit AI-generated work
It might be thought that because AI can calculate, analyze, and summarize at an industrial scale, traditional knowledge of financial fundamentals is less critical. In fact, the evidence almost suggests the opposite. The ability to interrogate and audit AI-generated work remains vital. The distinction is between the ability to perform a calculation and the ability to understand the calculation: the machine increasingly performs the calculation, but the employee remains accountable for the outcome.
Judgment becoming more important in banking
In parallel with AI, there exists a paradox: judgment is becoming more valuable, not less. The power of AI means that while the value of producing an answer has diminished, there is a rising value attached to the ability to determine whether the answer makes sense.
In other words, critical thinking and judgment assume a higher profile. This applies frequently and directly in banking because many decisions cannot be made safely when they are reduced to statistical optimization. Consider, for example, credit decisions. A junior employee reviewing that recommendation should assess whether the income assumption is reasonable and raise any concerns with a senior colleague.
Human skills take center stage
The term ‘soft skills’ always implied something rather pejorative in a workplace context. Indeed, ‘softness’ is not something that comes to mind when negotiating with a difficult client, explaining risk to senior management, handling a vulnerable customer, or challenging a questionable decision.
The term “human skills” is more appropriate. As more routine and analytical work is automated, employers place greater value on how new employees communicate and work with others. This includes listening with empathy and building relationships, as well as presenting ideas and persuading others.
This makes sense in the world of banking and finance because the foundation of the business – and indeed its economic value – ultimately depends upon trust: the trust that exists between banker and customer, advisor and client, analyst and portfolio manager, risk officer and business manager or institution and regulator.
Adaptability key in financial services
Finally, given the rapidly changing financial services landscape, adaptability and agility have emerged as top in-demand skills for early careers.
Professionals across the financial services industry need to adapt to new systems, altered workflows, evolving regulation, changing products, AI tools that may themselves change every few months, new forms of data, and frequently re-organized teams. It is a career that involves repeated reskilling.
Consequently, employers may increasingly assess candidates not only on what they already know but also on how quickly they can learn something new.
For professionals looking to develop the top skills for banking professionals, Intuition offers a range of tutorials from their digital learning libraries, Know-How, for financial skills, and Workplace Now for human skills. Here is a list of topics relevant to this article:
- FinTech – An Introduction
- AI Applications – Customer Service
- AI Applications – Trading
- Investment Banking – Backpack to Briefcase
- Retail Banking – Understanding Retail Customers
- Digital Banking – An Introduction
- Retail Banking – Customer Acquisition
- Sustainable Finance in Practice
- Open Banking & Open Finance
- Private wealth Management – Commercial Awareness
- Critical Thinking
- Problem Solving Skills
- Agile Thinking
- Emotional Intelligence
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Frequently Asked Questions
What skills do employers expect from people starting a banking career?
Employers expect new entrants to combine financial knowledge with digital and AI capability. They also value the ability to apply that knowledge to business problems, exercise judgment, and work effectively with others. As routine tasks are automated, junior employees need to demonstrate business understanding earlier and adapt as their roles change.
Why is practical financial knowledge important for new banking employees?
Knowing financial concepts is no longer enough on its own. New banking employees need to show that they can use their knowledge to address a business problem. Case studies, simulations, and practical problems can help people move from understanding banking concepts to applying them in everyday work.
Why do banking employees still need financial knowledge when using AI?
AI can calculate, analyze, and summarize information, but employees remain accountable for the outcomes of their work. Financial knowledge helps them understand the calculations behind an answer and question AI-generated output. The key distinction is between producing a result and understanding it well enough to assess whether it can be relied on.
Why is judgment becoming more important in early banking careers?
As AI makes it easier to produce answers, employees need to determine whether those answers make sense. Banking decisions cannot always be reduced safely to statistical optimization. In credit decisions, for example, a junior employee should assess whether an income assumption is reasonable and raise concerns with a senior colleague.
Which human skills matter for people entering banking?
Communication, listening, empathy, and the ability to work with others are increasingly valuable for new banking employees. These skills support building relationships, presenting ideas, and persuading others. They also matter when handling difficult conversations or explaining risk. Their importance reflects the trust that underpins relationships across banking and finance.
Why is adaptability important for a career in financial services?
Financial services professionals need to adjust to changing systems, workflows, regulations, products, and AI tools. New forms of data and reorganized teams also create a continuing need to learn. Employers may increasingly assess candidates on how quickly they can learn something new, alongside what they already know.
