Banking AI Quarterly Pulse Survey Q2 2026 (KPMG Switzerland)

Summary

• Average projected investment in AI over the next 12 months is $170 M, compared with $177 M in Q1 2026 and $133 M in Q4 2025.p.3
• 68% agree or strongly agree that their organization's CEO actively owns AI as a strategic business priority.p.3
• 64% agree or strongly agree that they are confident in their organization's ability to future-proof its AI strategy.p.3
• The survey captured perspectives from 204 US-based C-suite and business leaders at organizations with annual revenue of $1 billion or more.p.3
• Over half of the organizations across the banking industry are adopting AI agents in some capacity.p.2

Key insights

1. Most organizations are piloting AI agents rather than deploying the technology.p.2
2. Scaling AI agents is constrained by data readiness, access limitations and the complexity of agentic systems.p.2
3. Only a third of banks have full visibility into AI costs across their organizations.p.2
4. Organizations are responding to workforce concerns by investing in upskilling and reinforcing expectations around AI fluency.p.2
5. Data security, privacy and risk concerns are the top factor influencing AI strategy in the next 6 months, cited by 98%.p.3