Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance
A research centre at Cambridge Judge Business School studying fintech, digital finance, and alternative finance globally, including annual surveys of AI adoption in financial services.
Last refreshed: 8 June 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What share of finance firms are now running agentic AI, and do they plan net job cuts?
Timeline for Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance
Published 2026 survey showing net-reduction expectations doubled and 52% agentic AI adoption
AI: Jobs, Power & Money: Finance sheds 22,000 jobs, a first- What did the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance find about AI job losses in 2026?
- Its 2026 Global AI in Financial Services survey found that 24% of financial firms expect net role reductions from AI — double the prior year — and that 52% now run agentic AI capable of sustained multi-step autonomous action.Source: Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance 2026 survey
- Who is the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance and who funds it?
- CCAF is an independent research centre at Cambridge Judge Business School. It publishes open findings covering 150+ countries and operates independently of industry sponsors.
- What is agentic AI in financial services?
- Agentic AI refers to AI systems capable of sustained multi-step autonomous action — completing complex workflows without human sign-off at each step. The CCAF found 52% of finance firms now deploy it.Source: Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance 2026 survey
- How reliable is the CCAF AI survey data compared with official employment statistics?
- The CCAF survey is voluntary and self-reported, covering firms rather than individuals. It complements BLS payroll data, which measures actual job changes, by capturing employer intent and AI deployment rates directly.
Background
The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) is a research centre within Cambridge Judge Business School that conducts independent surveys of digital finance, fintech, and alternative lending markets worldwide. Its flagship output is an annual Global AI in Financial Services survey, which in 2026 found that 24% of financial firms expect net role reductions from AI adoption — double the prior year — and that 52% of finance firms now run agentic AI capable of sustained multi-step autonomous action. These figures appeared in the same survey window as the first negative monthly BLS print for financial activities in the current cycle, lending the data unusual weight in public debate about AI-driven displacement.
Founded in 2015, the CCAF has established itself as the primary academic source for data on crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending, digital banking, and AI adoption across financial services. It operates independently of industry sponsors, publishing surveys covering over 150 countries. The centre is affiliated with Cambridge Judge Business School and the University of Cambridge, but publishes its findings openly. Its annual survey methodology covers both traditional incumbents and challenger fintechs, making it one of the few sources that tracks AI deployment rates across heterogeneous financial-sector firms rather than only top-tier banks.
The CCAF's research reaches beyond financial services into the broader debate on technology and labour markets. Its AI-in-financial-services surveys are regularly cited by central banks, regulators including the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee, and parliamentary inquiries into AI governance. As state legislatures across the US and the EU begin legislating on AI-driven displacement, the centre's survey data has become a reference point for assessing employer AI-adoption rates independently of what firms report publicly.
