AI agents don't have to fail in order to cause major problems for banks

• Key insight: As banks move from AI that supports decisions to AI that can take action, they need to be ready for the possibility that an agent's actions may produce consequences the bank did not intend.
• Supporting data: In August, the U.K.'s AI Security Institute separately reported that agents had taken unsanctioned actions during its evaluations.
• Forward look: The challenge for banks is to recognize when unexpected agent behavior requires formal incident response.
  

AI agents are bringing artificial intelligence deeper into bank operations, with systems that can execute tasks, use tools, interact with other systems, and act within defined workflows. This year, Citi introduced Arc, an enterprise platform for developing and deploying AI agents across the bank. BNY continues to scale agentic systems already embedded in its operational workflows, while JPMorganChase is increasingly adopting agentic AI, thinking beyond coding and looking to apply it across the full product development lifecycle.

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AI agents are also beginning to participate directly in payments. Visa's U.S. pilots have executed agent-initiated consumer and B2B purchases, while several European banks including Barclays, BBVA, ING, and Lloyds Banking Group have completed live agent-executed transactions.