EMA Research Finds Legacy Identity Systems Slowing AI Adoption in Finance

May 19, 2026
A global survey by Enterprise Management Associates, commissioned by Ory Corp., shows that financial and insurance institutions are adopting AI more cautiously than other sectors due to legacy identity systems and regulatory constraints.

Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) has published new research indicating that legacy identity and access management systems are slowing artificial intelligence adoption in the financial sector. The study, commissioned by Ory Corp., surveyed 271 IT and security professionals across industries.

The report, titled "The AI Identity Crisis: Balancing Innovation with Strict Compliance in the Financial Sector," found that only 29.7 percent of financial institutions have AI initiatives in full-scale production, compared with 40.6 percent across all industries. The research attributes this slower pace to strict regulatory requirements and fragmented identity infrastructures.

According to EMA, 58 percent of organizations use three or more identity and access management solutions, while 51 percent cite rising identity management costs as a major challenge. The study also shows that 62.2 percent of financial firms say their identity systems need more resilience, and 59.5 percent require stronger security capabilities.

EMA will host a webinar on May 19, 2026, featuring research director Ken Buckler and Ory's head of product marketing Damon Tepe. The event will discuss how modern identity approaches can help financial institutions deploy AI securely.

We hope you enjoyed this article.

Consider subscribing to one of our newsletters like Cybersecurity AI Weekly, Enterprise AI Brief or Daily AI Brief.

Also, consider following us on social media:

Cybersecurity AI Enterprise AI AI Brief AI Brief (X)

More from: Cybersecurity

05/19
Cato Networks Integrates Cyera DSPM into Cato XOps for Data-Aware Security Operations
05/19
Rockwell Automation Report Shows 90 Percent of Manufacturers See Digital Transformation as Essential
05/19
SU Group Expands AI Security Portfolio with SeeTrue Partnership
05/19
Edera and Minimus Form Partnership for Container Security in Critical Infrastructure
05/19
WinMagic Introduces Endpoint Identity Architecture Aligned with CISA OT Guidance

More from: Enterprise

05/19
AVEVA and IFS Partner on AI for Continuous Asset Decision Intelligence
05/19
Cato Networks Integrates Cyera DSPM into Cato XOps for Data-Aware Security Operations
05/19
ChapsVision Named Leader in 2025 SPARK Matrix for Enterprise AI Search
05/19
Skymetrix Study Finds 40% of Airline Invoices Still Paper-Based, Costing Industry $4.6 Billion
05/19
Optro and EY US Launch Joint AI Regulatory Management Offering

Subscribe to Cybersecurity AI Weekly

Weekly newsletter about AI in Cybersecurity.

AI Token Webinar

Market report

AI’s Time-to-Market Quagmire: Why Enterprises Struggle to Scale AI Innovation

ModelOp

The 2025 AI Governance Benchmark Report by ModelOp provides insights from 100 senior AI and data leaders across various industries, highlighting the challenges enterprises face in scaling AI initiatives. The report emphasizes the importance of AI governance and automation in overcoming fragmented systems and inconsistent practices, showcasing how early adoption correlates with faster deployment and stronger ROI.

Read more

You May Also Like