2026 Collections & Recoveries Playbook: Why Digital and AI Are No Longer Optional

In Collections & Recoveries today, pressure is rising on every front. Regulatory scrutiny is intensifying, case volumes are growing, operating costs continue to climb, and customer expectations keep moving higher. 

What hasn’t kept pace with these rising demands is the operating model. And yet, the mismatch between what collections organisations are being asked to deliver and what their operating models can realistically support is widening, driven by four powerful structural forces reshaping collections today. 

As a result, collections leaders are under pressure to: 
 
1️⃣ Resolve cases faster 
2️⃣ Reduce cost-to-collect 
3️⃣ Maintain rigorous compliance

...all while delivering fair, consistent, and transparent customer experiences. 

That’s why we created a 2026 Collections & Recoveries Playbook, which breaks down the key trends and challenges reshaping Collections & Recoveries in 2026. It examines how leading collections teams are responding to these changes, starting with the growing role of AI in collections. 

Based on market evidence, when applied effectively and at scale, AI can deliver measurable impact, including: 

...while supporting more consistent, transparent, and compliant customer experiences. 

However, AI alone won’t determine collections performance in 2026. That’s why the Playbook goes beyond that, touching on all the key trends and challenges, and showing how leading teams are preparing by placing their trust in modern collections operating models.  

See how leading teams are preparing for 2026 👇