Given the evidence of real-world applications, and its potential impact as a new technology, I believe quantum computing could play a bigger role in financial firms’ strategic thinking in 2026.
For quantitative finance firms, the question is how to prepare for this transition. This is not trivial work. Quantum computing requires fundamentally different problem formulations to those of traditional computing.
To understand the potential impact, I like to think of the boundaries of the financial world being shaped by two key factors: technology and talent. The ingenuity of talent defines what is possible to do. Technology defines how quickly, accurately and efficiently you can do it.