Can financial services’ offensive in the advertising arena hit the mark?

In 2024, banking and payment companies have agreed to invest in the retail media market. Like e-retailers, they are looking to leverage their 1P data, coveted for targeting capabilities in environments that are gradually abandoning cookies. We take a closer look at their offensive in a market that is already close to saturation.

Through Raphaële Karayan. Published on 12 May 2025 à 11h39 - Update on 23 July 2025 à 19h00

Key points

  • Financial players such as Klarna, PayPal and BoursoBank are investing in commerce media, to monetise their first-party data. They are seeking to capture a share of the advertising market, despite already well-established competition.
  • Financial media networks (FMNs) benefit from a cross-merchant view and strong regulation, which enhances compliance. However, their lack of access to detailed transactional data and closed-loop attribution still limits their appeal.
  • To attract agencies and advertisers, FMNs must demonstrate their effectiveness. The potential for programmatic advertising is recognised, but their success will depend on their ability to compete with more mature verticals such as retail and travel.

With the retail media market expected to grow by 20% this year in the U.S.A.…

Raphaële Karayan