Bath · Bristol · London

Crane Index™ Research  ›  AI Readability 2026  ›  Financial Services

Crane Index™ · Annual edition

UK Financial Services AI Readability 2026

As of 1 October 2026, the median UK financial services site scored 45 out of 100 on the Crane Index™, the measure of how readably a site presents itself to AI engines. Across the 122 sites a machine could read, scores ran from 19 to 76, a 57-point gap between the strongest and the weakest.

The 2027 edition is scheduled. UK AI Readability 2027 is pinned to the scan scheduled for 1 January 2027. The figures on this page stay fixed to 1 October 2026.

What this measures. The score reads how readably a site presents itself to AI engines: entity markup, structured data and machine resolvability. It is not a measure of design, brand or quality. A site can look excellent to a person and still be hard for a machine to read, and a low score is a readability finding, never a judgement on the business.

45
Median / 100
57
Point gap (19 to 76)
122
Sites read of 175
7
Cleared 70+

The field in 2026

The field was led by Fidelity Investments at 76, with BlackRock next at 75. 7 sites cleared 70 out of 100, and 39 scored below 40.

At the foot of the field sat Morningstar at 19, Klarna at 20, Regions Financial at 21. Each is a site a machine struggled to read, not a business doing anything other than well at what it does.

The full 2026 ranking

Composite out of 100, with the three reads behind it: AI Search Readiness (retrieval), Agent Readiness (execution) and Brand Representation.

RankOrganisationCrane IndexSearchAgentBrand
1Fidelity Investmentsfidelity.com76748966
2BlackRockblackrock.com/us/individual75798560
3PayPalpaypal.com/us/home73788358
4=BBVAbbva.com/en72778258
4=Jefferies Financial Groupjefferies.com72758753
6Capital Onecapitalone.com71738356
7Discover Financial Servicesdiscover.com70638958
8=AIGaig.com/home68716369
8=Freddie Macfreddiemac.com68688948
8=ICICI Bankicici.bank.in68796362
8=Synchrony Financialsynchrony.com68737754
12=M&T Bankmtb.com66716958
12=MetLifemetlife.com66736858
14=Chubbchubb.com/us-en65638746
14=NatWest Groupnatwestgroup.com65726954
14=Nordeanordea.com/en65686958
17=Arch Capital Grouparchgroup.com64698737
17=FISfisglobal.com64667452
17=Monzomonzo.com64736257
17=Ping An Insurancepingan.com64748336
21=Adyenadyen.com62636558
21=Mizuho Financial Groupmizuhogroup.com62636558
21=Stripestripe.com62666653
24=Ameriprise Financialameriprise.com61558643
24=Apollo Global Managementapollo.com61666255
24=HDFC Bankhdfc.bank.in61718625
24=Legal & Generallegalandgeneral.com61756346
28Intesa Sanpaolointesasanpaolo.com60706643
29=CaixaBankcaixabank.com/home_es.html59726243
29=Starling Bankstarlingbank.com59666248
31=Fiservfiserv.com58636843
31=Nationwide Building Societynationwide.co.uk58646348
33=Ally Financialally.com57666341
33=Moody'smoodys.com57516653
33=Phoenix Groupstandardlifeplc.com57657136
36=Citigroupcitigroup.com/global56566843
36=NN Groupnn-group.com56636341
36=Principal Financial Groupprincipal.com56636343
39=Interactive Brokersinteractivebrokers.com55546546
39=Wells Fargowellsfargo.com55696828
39=Wisewise.com55616243
42=Schrodersschroders.com/en/global/individual54656533
42=Western Unionwesternunion.com/us/en/home.html54756325
44=Aflacaflac.com53657123
44=Societe Generalesocietegenerale.com/fr53526343
46Credit Agricolecredit-agricole.com52686821
47BNYbny.com/corporate/global/en.html51646228
48Standard Bank Groupstandardbank.com/sbg/standard-bank-group50525641
49=T. Rowe Pricetroweprice.com/en/us49576228
49=Travelerstravelers.com49616323
49=Truist Financialtruist.com49656913
52=Bank of Americabankofamerica.com48596223
52=Janus Hendersonjanushenderson.com/en-us4861768
54HSBChsbc.com47626810
55=Aberdeen Groupaberdeeninvestments.com/en-us46565823
55=KBC Groupkbc.com/en.html46388713
55=Manulifemanulife.com/ca/en/personal46536323
58=Generaligenerali.com45457120
58=TD Bank Grouptd.com/us/en/personal-banking45576613
58=UBSubs.com/us/en.html45635320
58=Zurich Insurance Groupzurich.com45586610
62=CIBCcibc.com/en/personal-banking.html44546810
62=Hargreaves Lansdownhl.co.uk44497113
62=London Stock Exchange Grouplseg.com/en?gad_source=7&gad_campaignid=22138219600&gclid=CMmlsuWvmJcDFRMGiAkdPHkGMQ4457688
65=Deutsche Bankdb.com43586210
65=Euronexteuronext.com/en43476813
67=3i Group3i.com42476810
67=Aonaon.com/en42506213
67=Brookfieldbrookfield.com4251688
67=Fannie Maefanniemae.com42516213
67=KKRkkr.com42515025
67=Marsh McLennanmarsh.com/en/home.html42556210
67=OCBCocbc.com/group/gateway42396620
67=Robinhoodrobinhood.com/us/en42446220
67=U.S. Bancorpusbank.com/index.html42516610
76=Commonwealth Bank of Australiacommbank.com.au4150658
76=ING Grouping.com41506210
78=Australia and New Zealand Banking Groupanz.com.au/personal40446313
78=Cincinnati Financialcinfin.com40476310
78=Commerzbankcommerzbank.de/group40456213
78=Deutsche Boersedeutsche-boerse.com/dbg-de40426910
78=Lazardlazard.com40466213
78=MSCImsci.com40446213
84=DBS Bankdbs.com/default.page39336518
84=JPMorgan Chasejpmorganchase.com39416213
84=Prudential plcprudentialplc.com/en39426213
84=Sun Life Financialsunlife.com/en39505610
84=Swedbankswedbank.com3941688
89=Danske Bankdanskebank.com38376313
89=Evelyn Partnersevelyn.com38376313
89=Macquarie Groupmacquarie.com/us/en.html38406310
89=Markelmarkel.com38436210
89=PNC Financial Servicespnc.com/en/personal-banking.html38465710
89=State Streetstatestreet.com/us/en38436210
95=Affirmaffirm.com37356213
95=AXAaxa.com37366213
95=Banco Santandersantander.com/en/home37356213
95=Cboe Global Marketscboe.com37465610
95=Intercontinental Exchangeice.com/index3735688
100=Fitch Ratingsfitchratings.com35266118
100=Munich Remunichre.com/en.html35445010
100=Stifel Financialstifel.com35425013
100=Vanguardinvestor.vanguard.com/corporate-portal35316510
104American Expressamericanexpress.com3430658
105=Barclayshome.barclays33563013
105=Beazleybeazley.com33285515
105=Invescoinvesco.com/us/en/country-splash.html3322688
105=Scotiabankscotiabank.com/global/en/global-site.html3329628
109Blockblock.xyz3233548
110Visavisa.com/en-us2726488
111SEBsebgroup.com2635348
112=Fifth Third Bancorp53.com24223415
112=Lloyds Banking Grouplloydsbankinggroup.com24243415
114=Berkshire Hathawayberkshirehathaway.com2321408
114=FactSetfactset.com2328348
116=Charles Schwabschwab.com22183415
116=Close Brothers Groupclosebrothers.com/s2224348
118=Aegonaegon.com21133415
118=Nomuranomura.com2120348
118=Regions Financialregions.com21133415
121Klarnaklarna.com2017348
122Morningstarmorningstar.com1918308

Download this edition: the full field as a spreadsheet (CSV), or the same run as JSON. Licensed CC BY 4.0, so it is yours to publish and build on with attribution. Every unreadable site carries empty score cells, never a zero.

This is the fixed 2026 edition, pinned to the scan measured 1 October 2026, so the figures on it do not change. The live field, re-run on the first of each month, is on the current Financial Services benchmark. For how the score is built, see the methodology.

Licensed CC BY 4.0. Cite as: The Crane Index™, UK Financial Services AI readability 2026, The Crane Consultancy, measured 1 October 2026. https://thecraneconsultancy.com/research/financial-services-ai-readability-2026/

The Crane Standard

The senior read,
once a week.

Most marketing newsletters are noise on a schedule. This is not that. Once a week I send a short, considered read on the shifts that actually change what you should do, across the AI shift, PPC, technical SEO and analytics. Filtered, weighted and signed off by me before it goes out. The judgement is mine, and now you can hear every edition in my own voice.

Nic CraneFounder, The Crane Consultancy

Topics you want

All three lands every Tuesday. Choose a selection and you get only those, as and when they publish, always on a Tuesday.

One considered email a week, edited and signed off by Nic. No filler, no sharing, unsubscribe in a click. By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy.

Prefer LinkedIn? Subscribe on LinkedIn instead, the same edition, delivered by push and email.