Wall Street Swaps Pilots for Progress: AI and Tokenization Enter Scaled Execution Phase

The era of tentative experimentation in financial technology has come to a close as the world’s leading wealth and asset managers pivot toward massive, scaled deployments of artificial intelligence and digital asset infrastructure.

According to a comprehensive new study by Broadridge, which surveyed over 900 technology and operations leaders, the industry has undergone a radical transformation in just twelve months. Current data shows that 80% of firms are now actively using generative or predictive AI in their operations—a massive jump from the 31% reported last year. This rapid migration from small-scale pilot programs to enterprise-wide integration signals that AI has officially surpassed cloud computing as the technology viewed as having the most significant impact on the future of business.

This transition is already yielding tangible results, with 27% of firms reporting measurable business benefits, nearly double the success rate seen a year ago. As these gains materialize, investment is following suit; 72% of firms now report making moderate to large capital commitments to generative AI. While the focus remains on productivity, the industry is already looking toward the next frontier: agentic AI. These autonomous systems, capable of executing workflows with minimal human oversight, are already being deployed by 26% of firms. The adoption is most aggressive among the industry’s giants, with nearly one-third of institutions managing over $250 billion in assets reporting active use of these advanced autonomous agents.

Despite the technological momentum, a significant human hurdle remains. The "talent gap" has emerged as a primary bottleneck, with 38% of firms citing a lack of skilled workers as their biggest barrier to adoption—a 10-point increase from 2025. As firms scramble for data scientists and AI specialists, the industry is also preparing for its next major structural shift: tokenization. Broadridge reports that 53% of firms believe blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) will fundamentally change how assets are settled. This conviction is backed by capital, as 54% of firms are now investing heavily in digital asset infrastructure to unlock greater liquidity and operational efficiency.

However, the path to a tokenized future is not without risk. While leaders see clear benefits in transparency and speed, they remain wary of the complexities involved in re-architecting global markets. The study found that 64% of firms are concerned about the cybersecurity risks associated with tokenization, while 55% highlighted increased valuation risk and regulatory uncertainty. Germán Soto Sanchez, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Broadridge, noted that while AI proved the industry could modernize at a record pace, tokenization represents the next leap forward. He emphasized that the shift is increasingly viewed not as a trend, but as a long-term evolution of financial market infrastructure.