Fintechs commanded far higher mention rates within their categories than traditional institutions did in theirs. Klarna was recommended in 91% of buy now, pay later (BNPL) and installment queries, the highest category-level mention rate across the board. Coinbase led crypto and stablecoins at 84%, Apple led digital wallets at 84%, and Square led payment processing at 83%. These brands have built strong associations with a single product category, and ChatGPT mentions reflect that.
P2P payments was a highly contested category. While PayPal had a clear lead at 85%, the rest of the top five were tightly grouped. All five top brands exceeded 57%, the highest floor of any category in the index.
Ally led banking accounts, ahead of larger rivals. The online bank topped the category at 73%, narrowly ahead of Capital One (69%). Discover came in third at 52%, a significant drop-off from the top two. Marcus by Goldman Sachs (46%) and Synchrony (26%) rounded out the top five.
The loans category was the most fragmented, with no brand breaking away from the pack. SoFi held a slim lead at 34%, followed closely by Navy Federal Credit Union (33.6%) and Bank of America (31%). The 5-percentage-point spread between No. 1 and No. 5 was the narrowest of any category in the index. For lenders investing in AI visibility, rankings are still up for grabs in this category.
About our AI Visibility Index
A quarter of US internet users will use genAI for shopping-related tasks in 2026, per our forecast. This shift is putting pressure on brands to optimize their GEO strategies and effectively build trust in the era of AI.
Our AI Visibility Index is based on a structured analysis of ChatGPT responses. Each query asked ChatGPT for product or service recommendations using standardized prompts (e.g., “best travel credit card,” “auto insurance provider for families”) and varied by product/service type, product/service attribute, consumer need, target audience, and price tier to capture a representative range of consumer questions for each category. Prompts are developed through an analysis of our extensive primary research on financial services consumers.
Want a closer look at the AI visibility Index? EMARKETER PRO subscribers will soon be able to access in-depth reports featuring further category breakouts, data cuts, and analysis.
To learn more about how the AI Visibility Index can help your brand, contact Rob Rubin at [email protected]