The Landscape of Observability in 2026: Balancing Cost and Innovation in Financial Services

Observability isn't new, but how financial services companies use it is changing fast. From AI-powered insights to rising regulatory pressure, teams are moving beyond uptime and toward maximizing strategic and operational value. Generative AI (GenAI), agentic AI, and the increased adoption of OpenTelemetry (OTel) are creating major opportunities — and introducing new challenges around cost, complexity, and compliance.

This new survey report reveals what 100+ financial services leaders are preparing for in 2026. It uncovers how companies are evolving observability to strengthen resilience, meet regulatory expectations, manage costs more effectively, and unlock AI-driven insights. From GenAI adoption to OTel maturity, see where your peers are heading — and how to stay ahead.

Highlights

• 70% of teams now rate their observability practice as mature or expert — up sharply from 2025. Learn how leaders are turning maturity into business value.
• 94% already use GenAI for observability, with major efficiency gains expected in the next five years. Understand what successful GenAI AI adoption actually looks like in financial services.
• OpenTelemetry adoption has tripled. With 9 in 10 leaders citing OTel compliance as critical, learn what you should expect from your observability platform.
• Nearly two-thirds use observability for real-time compliance monitoring and audit trails. See how companies are turning observability into a compliance advantage.

Get the full report to see how financial services companies are redefining observability for resilience, performance, and innovation.

Additional resources

• Financial services at Elastic
• Elastic Observability product page
• 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Observability Platforms
• The power of a single view: Unifying security and observability