The rise of AI-powered search is fundamentally altering how consumers find financial information, creating a new paradigm for visibility where being the source of an answer is as crucial as ranking first. Fintel Connect has released its 2025/2026 industry report, "Competing for Visibility in the Age of AI," to investigate this shift. The study provides critical insights into which content sources are favored by Large Language Models (LLMs) and what this means for financial marketers navigating the zero-click world.
Fintel Connect's new report analyzes content visibility in AI search results.
Over 60% of AI-sourced financial content comes from affiliate publishers.
Sites like NerdWallet and Bankrate are key gateways for LLMs, not bank websites.
This "zero-click" shift challenges traditional paid and organic search strategies.
The report advises financial brands to strengthen affiliate marketing relationships.
Proactive partnership is key to staying visible in AI-driven consumer conversations.
The report identifies a significant challenge for financial institutions: the primary sources of information for AI models are often third-party affiliate publishers. Findings indicate that more than 60% of financial content surfaced by AI originates from these sites, not the official websites of banks or credit unions. This establishes affiliates like NerdWallet, Bankrate, and Investopedia as critical gateways, shaping the product recommendations and information that consumers receive directly from AI assistants.
This shift to a zero-click environment, where answers are synthesized without requiring a website visit, disrupts traditional marketing funnels that rely on driving direct traffic. For marketing teams, this means that historical reliance on paid ads and organic rankings is no longer sufficient. The new landscape demands a strategic pivot towards influencing the sources that AI models trust, making affiliate marketing partnerships a more central and critical component of a modern visibility strategy.
The report positions strategic affiliate relationships as a primary solution for maintaining brand visibility. Instead of competing directly with these publishers for AI attention, financial institutions are advised to strengthen their partnerships with them. By ensuring their products and services are accurately and prominently featured on these high-visibility affiliate sites, banks and fintechs can secure a vital presence in the AI-driven conversations that are increasingly guiding consumer decisions.
Fintel Connect's report delivers a clear call to action for the financial industry: adapt partnership strategies to the realities of AI search. Success in this new era will depend less on driving clicks to a owned domain and more on ensuring a brand's products are accurately represented within the ecosystem of publishers that LLMs rely on to inform and guide consumers.
About Fintel Connect
Fintel Connect is a performance marketing technology company specializing in the financial services sector. With a mission to drive responsible growth, Fintel Connect empowers financial brands and publishers through advanced tracking, compliance, and partner management solutions. The company is trusted by leading banks, fintechs, and financial institutions across North America.
TechIntelPro empowers B2B technology decision-makers with the latest industry trends, deep insights, leadership perspectives and actionable intelligence to drive both organizational and professional milestones—and thrive on the tech pulse.