Financial Services Industry Report (2026)
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The GCBI Financial Services Industry Report covers 11 brands across Canadian banking, insurance, and financial services—including the five major chartered banks (TD, RBC, CIBC, Scotiabank, BMO), three regional and cooperative institutions (Desjardins, National Bank, Laurentian Bank), and three insurance and wealth brands (Sun Life, Intact, Manulife). Data reflects national consumer perception surveys conducted in both 2025 and 2026.
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Key Findings at a Glance
TD claimed the #1 position in the financial services category for the first time in the GCBI's history, rising from 7th to 1st—and from 112th to 79th nationally.
Laurentian Bank made the most dramatic fall of any brand in the category: from #1 in 2025 to last place in 2026, losing 2.11 points.
The financial services category ranked last among all 12 GCBI industries in 2026—below the national average by 1.63 points.
The Big Five banks now hold the top five positions—a sweep that did not exist in 2025.
NDP supporters rate financial services brands 5.40 points lower than Conservative supporters—the largest political perception gap of any GCBI industry.
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The 2026 Category Story
2026 was a tale of two halves in Canadian financial services. The five major chartered banks—TD, RBC, CIBC, Scotiabank, and BMO—all improved year-over-year and collectively dominated the top five positions in the category. The non-bank segment told the opposite story: Desjardins, National Bank, Laurentian Bank, Sun Life, Intact, and Manulife all declined, with Laurentian Bank suffering the most dramatic single-year reversal in the dataset—falling from category leader to last place.
CIBC's rise to 3rd is notable for its character, not just its magnitude. It now leads the Financial Services category on Honesty—arguably the most strategically important dimension for a sector whose commercial relationship with consumers is built on trust. TD, meanwhile, leads on five of seven dimensions, suggesting a broad-based improvement rather than strength in a single area.
The category's most commercially significant demographic finding: Millennials rate financial services brands lower than any other generation—and the gap widened in 2026. Millennials are the generation currently making the most consequential financial decisions of their lives (mortgages, investments, retirement savings), and they trust financial brands least.
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What You'll Find in the Full Report
Complete brand rankings table—2025 vs. 2026, category and national positions.
Dimension-by-dimension profiles for all 11 brands.
Regional breakdown: how financial services brands score across BC, Alberta, Prairies, Ontario, Québec, and Atlantic Canada.
Demographic breakdown: gender, generation, income level, and political affiliation—with brand-level detail.
Competitive landscape analysis—who owns which segments and where vulnerability lies.
Five strategic implications drawn directly from the data.