AI Venture Trends in Banking

From the Evident AI Venture Tracker | February 2026

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The AI Venture Tracker captures 700+ AI, technology and data venture investments made by the world’s largest banks, revealing where leading banks are placing their bets across AI and adjacent technologies - and what today’s investments signal for tomorrow’s competitive landscape.

Explore the key findings from the February 2026 Venture Trends in Banking Report. To access the full insights and dataset, reach out to our team.

AI VENTURE TRENDS IN BANKING | FEBRUARY 2026

1

GENERATIVE AI AND AGENTIC DEALS SURGE

Banks’ tech venture portfolios have rebounded after a dip in 2023, with AI firmly at the center. Overall tech venture deals grew at 8% annually (2023-25), while AI-specific investments outpaced the broader market +21% CAGR. GenAI and Agentic deals led the charge, rising six-fold - from 4 deals in 2021 to 24 deals in 2025 - and claiming a growing share of banks' investment portfolios.

2

US BANKS DOMINATE AI VC ACTIVITY

Six of the 10 most active banks for AI venture capital are headquartered in the US. Wells Fargo, Citi and Goldman Sachs lead on AI deal volume: Wells Fargo through dedicated investment platforms, Citi through sustained dealmaking activity and the largest technology portfolio, and Goldman Sachs through a dual strategic and financial approach. Capital One and HSBC show the highest AI intensity, signalling more targeted AI strategies.

3

FINTECH, SAAS AND CYBERSECURITY ARE THE TOP AI INVESTMENT AREAS

FinTech, SaaS & AI platforms, and Cybersecurity are banks' top AI investment priorities, each aligned to three distinct strategic imperatives: embedding AI in core operations, building the data and model infrastructure to scale it, and defending against AI-driven threats.

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