A new report from Cornerstone Advisors, a financial services research and consulting firm, sponsored by InvestiFi, a provider of digital investing solutions for financial institutions, has found that nearly two-thirds of zillennial investors are redirecting their deposit balances towards FinTech investing accounts.
The research reveals that 66% of zillennial investors have reduced their deposit balances in favour of investing activity conducted through FinTech platforms. The report, titled ‘The Zillennial Opportunity: Credit Unions’ Traditional Investing Imperative in the Crypto Age‘, argues that credit unions are confronting a product shortcoming rather than a marketing one, as younger consumers gravitate towards FinTech offerings that better meet their needs.
Among the report’s headline findings, the proportion of new checking account openings captured by FinTechs climbed from 49% in 2024 to 56% in 2025. Meanwhile, 43% of zillennials moved deposits into investing accounts over the past 12 months, with 45% holding stocks or ETFs through a digital app and 20% using robo-advisory services via one.
Digital asset adoption is also notable, with one-third of zillennials currently holding digital assets and approximately 55 million US adults, around 21% of the population, now using them. Demand for integrated financial products is equally striking: four in ten Gen Zers, 45% of millennials, and a third of Gen Xers expressed strong interest in a checking account that incorporated investing functionality.
The report further found that 67% of zillennials want a single mobile app combining banking, digital assets, stocks and ETFs, robo-advisory, and stablecoins. A third of this cohort said they would also be interested in a digital asset wallet offered directly by their bank or credit union.
The research characterises zillennials, a micro-generation that bridges millennials and Gen Z, as thinking in terms of available money rather than discrete accounts.
Cornerstone Advisors chief research officer and report author Ron Shevlin said, “Zillennials have expressed a consistent interest in digital investing, with the majority moving deposits to do so. To streamline accounts, credit unions and banks need instant transfers between checking and investment accounts with no settlement lag perception. This should also include just-in-time liquidity to sell investments automatically to cover shortfalls or large purchases and unified balances that show total financial position.”
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Facts Only
* Nearly two-thirds of zillennial investors are redirecting deposit balances towards FinTech investing accounts.
* 66% of zillennial investors have reduced their deposit balances in favor of investing activity through FinTech platforms.
* The proportion of new checking account openings captured by FinTechs climbed from 49% in 2024 to 56% in 2025.
* 43% of zillennials moved deposits into investing accounts over the past 12 months.
* 45% of zillennials hold stocks or ETFs through a digital app.
* 20% of zillennials use robo-advisory services via one platform.
* One-third of zillennials currently hold digital assets.
* Approximately 55 million US adults, around 21% of the population, are now using digital assets.
* Four in ten Gen Zers, 45% of millennials, and a third of Gen Xers expressed strong interest in a checking account that incorporates investing functionality.
* 67% of zillennials want a single mobile app combining banking, digital assets, stocks, ETFs, robo-advisory, and stablecoins.
* A third of this cohort expressed interest in a digital asset wallet offered directly by their bank or credit union.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The narrative positions the shift toward FinTech investing as an inevitable response to consumer needs, suggesting that traditional financial institutions are failing due to product shortcomings rather than marketing deficiencies. This framing establishes urgency and implicitly directs focus onto the necessity of rapid digital adaptation by legacy entities like credit unions and banks. The emphasis on "thinking in terms of available money rather than discrete accounts" serves to delegitimize the traditional account structure, implying that existing systems inherently limit financial agency for younger generations.
The call for unified financial infrastructure—combining checking, investing, digital assets, and robo-advisory into a single mobile experience—is presented as a solution, effectively creating a powerful demand for system consolidation. This pattern of demanding complete integration suggests a systemic failure in the current fragmented architecture, which allows FinTechs to capture deposit flows and investment opportunities by offering holistic, customized experiences that address perceived needs (e.g., just-in-time liquidity).
The authority game relies on positioning digital adoption as a measure of modern financial competence. By highlighting these trends, the report subtly validates the competitive advantage of platforms that prioritize integration and instant access over traditional institutional structures. The implicit cost borne by consumers is the pressure to adopt systems built around immediate convenience, which benefits the providers of those convenient, integrated services rather than necessarily optimizing long-term stability or comprehensive financial literacy outside their specific product ecosystem.
Patterns detected: ARC-0043 Motte-and-Bailey, ARC-0024 Ambiguity, ARC-0051 Insinuation
Sentinel — Human
The text displays characteristics of standard, well-sourced financial journalism, demonstrating human editorial flow rather than pure synthetic generation.