Article | 10 November 2026
FinTech Report 2026
New rules, new reality: navigating the FinTech landscape 2026
Over the past year, the FinTech market has continued to build on the momentum we observed in 2025 — a market that had reset and was picking up pace again. That pace has carried into 2026, but the conversation has shifted. Where a year ago the focus was on whether the market was truly turning, the focus today is on how companies sustainable operate within a regulatory landscape that is no longer taking shape — it is, for the most part, already here. From the new Payment Services Package and consumer credit rules to the AI Act, the Cybersecurity Act alongside DORA, and the Cyber Resilience Act, the frameworks shaping this next phase are now a working reality.
At the centre of this shift is artificial intelligence, which continues to drive product development and reshape service delivery across the financial sector. With the AI Act entering into force, the questions surrounding high-risk AI systems are moving from the theoretical to the very practical. At the same time, the rapid development of AI is raising fundamental questions about the data that feeds these systems: the use of IPR-protected material as training data and the legal landscape around web scraping.
Navigating this evolving and often cross-border regulatory environment alongside rapid technological change remains a defining challenge for the FinTech industry. Much of the framework that was recently under debate is now in force, and the practical work of understanding how new and overlapping rules apply in day-to-day operations is well under way. Settled practices and common interpretations have yet to emerge across many of these areas, and for companies operating across borders the interplay between overlapping frameworks adds a further layer of complexity.
As a result of these observations, we have chosen to explore these themes in this year’s FinTech Report. Our aim is to provide guidance within the commercial technology regulatory field based upon our daily work experiences with the FinTech industry.
Without further delay, it is our pleasure to present to you Setterwalls’ FinTech Report 2026. We hope you find it to be both insightful and enjoyable.
The AI Act and High-Risk AI in Finance: A Practical Roadmap
The Swedish Cybersecurity Act – Where Do We Stand, And What Lies Ahead?
PSD3 and the PSR: A Compliance Roadmap for Swedish PSPs
Feeding the AI Machine – What’s Legal, What’s Risky, and How do You Navigate the Grey Zones
Locked in? How the EU Data Act’s Cloud Switching Rights Are Reshaping FinTech Infrastructure
Yours sincerely,
Joacim Johannesson
Partner, and Head of Setterwalls’ FinTech team
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