Summary

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) analysed the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the digital security of the financial sector. The main threat lies not in the emergence of new types of cyber risk, but in AI’s ability to accelerate the identification of technical vulnerabilities, increasing the speed, frequency and scale of attacks. According to the IMF, the use of AI by malicious actors increased by 89% in 2024–2025. The average time required to gain access to information systems within a network fell to 29 minutes. Financial institutions are critically dependent on digital infrastructure, cloud technologies and open-source software, while vulnerabilities in payment and settlement services may lead to large-scale systemic disruptions. The IMF calls for regular system-wide monitoring of cyber risks, stronger oversight of key providers of digital and AI services, and the development of technical expertise among supervisory authorities and financial institutions. It also recommends introducing standards for the timely disclosure of cyber incidents, strengthening international coordination and expanding cooperation between governments and the private IT sector.