A sound understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) possible risks — and benefits — that can assist with cybersecurity functions are among the top threats and opportunities facing banks, according to a report issued by the national bank regulator Thursday.
In its Semiannual Risk Perspective for Spring 2026, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) said the benefits and risks for AI were associated with “increasingly advanced” AI tools coming on the market. It said those tools “can be important for cyber risk management.”
“AI is significantly transforming the cyber threat landscape, while also providing new capabilities to manage cyber-related risks,” OCC said in its report. “AI lowers the barrier to entry for threat actors and increases the speed, scale, and sophistication of cyber-attacks targeting financial institutions and their customers.”
The report asserts that AI can be used for a variety of illicit activates. That includes facilitating and enabling automated reconnaissance, rapid vulnerability discovery and exploitation, targeted social engineering, and adaptive malware that can evade traditional security defenses.
“The implementation of more stringent security measures, such as multifactor authentication and timely patch management, help mitigate AI-enabled cyber risks for banks,” the report states. “AI can also be deployed to defend against threats and to support risk management and heightened threat and vulnerability monitoring processes.”
The report notes that there are “increasingly advanced AI tools coming into the market to assist with cybersecurity functions. A sound understanding of the potential benefits and possible risks associated with these advanced tools can be important for cyber risk management.”
Other top risks identified in the report include:
- Cyber threats and fraud remain a concern with cybercriminal groups targeting the financial sector that are increasingly sophisticated, and foreign state-sponsored actors continuing to pose a threat. “Banks continue to face challenges from both the elevated levels and rising sophistication of fraud and scams,” the report states.
- Credit conditions and refinancing risk in certain segments of commercial real estate lending and private credit markets warrant ongoing monitoring.
- Modest increases in past-due loans have been observed in some consumer portfolios. “However, OCC-supervised banks have manageable exposures to borrowers with weaker credit profiles,” the agency said.
- Geopolitical tensions increase sanctions and money laundering risk, straining bank compliance systems, and may raise the potential for sanctions and Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering (BSA/AML) violations.
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