In April 2026, we analyzed 5,600 ChatGPT responses across nine financial services categories to compile the AI Visibility Index. This index tracks how often brands are mentioned, how they rank against competitors, and how those rankings have shifted since the previous month.

Capital One was the most recommended financial services brand for the second month in a row. The bank held the No. 1 spot at a 20% mention rate, ahead of Discover, which rose to No. 2. The middle of the leaderboard was tightly packed: Seven of the top 10 brands sat within a 3-percentage-point range, leaving most ranks vulnerable to small shifts in the underlying data.

Credit cards and buy now, pay later (BNPL) split cleanly along legacy-versus-fintech lines. Within credit cards, all five top brands were legacy issuers, led by Capital One at 62%. That’s the opposite of BNPL, where fintechs held all five top spots; Klarna led the pack with an 84% mention rate.

Coinbase’s lead in crypto and stablecoins was more substantial than that of any other category leader. ChatGPT recommended Coinbase in 85% of queries, compared with 45% for runner-up Crypto.com. In every other category, the top two brands sat within 19 points of each other.

PayPal is the only brand that ranked in the top five across three categories. It led P2P payments at 78%, ranked No. 3 in digital wallets at 75%, and ranked No. 5 in payment processing at 39%. A handful of other brands appeared in the top five of two categories.

No brand moved more than two ranks, even as most of the top 10 changed position. Discover’s and Amex’s two-spot jumps were the largest upward shifts, and Ally’s two-spot slide to No. 7 was the largest downward move among returning brands. SoFi entered the top 10, displacing Wells Fargo. (Similar month-over-month rankings will be available across all categories for EMARKETER PRO subscribers.)

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 used standardized prompts (e.g., “best credit card for travel rewards” or “cheapest car insurance”) and varied by product type, attributes, consumer needs, target audience, and price tier to reflect a representative range of real-world consumer questions. 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]