The Disruptive Power of Digitalization upon Financial Services

Financial services are experiencing unprecedented disruption from digitalization. This article provides a five-year longitudinal update to a 2020 baseline study, examining how Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Digital Assets have evolved from theoretical concepts to operational imperatives. The research employs a qualitative case study methodology, drawing on semi-structured interviews with industry experts (including CEOs of FINTECH Circle and Wiserfunding) and secondary analysis of financial reports from leading institutions such as DBS Bank, Goldman Sachs, and TD Bank. This study addresses two research questions: (1) How do fintech and incumbent financial institutions differ in adopting disruptive technologies to enhance shareholder value? (2) What role do AI, Cloud Computing, and Digital Assets play in transforming risk management and customer engagement? The analysis confirmed that digitalization has reached a critical inflection point. Players are bundling Cloud Computing, APIs, and AI to achieve superior customer experience, operational efficiency, and dynamic risk repricing. Successful implementation requires C-suite support, clear data governance strategies, and the integration of Agentic AI and DevOps as core - not supplementary - organizational capabilities. The research contributes theoretically by proposing a "modular finance" model in which value creation arises from technological agility rather than capital scale. The study focuses on large, successful institutions rather than the entire player market. DOI:https://doi.org/10.54663/2182-9306.2026.SpecialIssueOMS.19-32