The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that advances in artificial intelligence are increasing the risk of large-scale cyberattacks capable of destabilizing the global financial system, as increasingly sophisticated offensive tools outpace institutional defenses.
In an analysis of emerging cyber risks, the IMF said AI is reshaping both the financial sector’s ability to defend against attacks and the capacity of intruders to exploit vulnerabilities across interconnected digital infrastructure.
The fund said extreme cyber incidents could trigger funding pressures, solvency concerns and broader market disruptions, particularly if multiple institutions are hit simultaneously. “The financial system relies on shared digital infrastructure that’s highly interconnected, including software, cloud services, and networks for payments and other data,” the IMF said.
According to the analysis, advanced AI systems are sharply reducing the time and cost required to identify and exploit software weaknesses, increasing the risk of correlated failures across banks, payment systems and financial markets.
The IMF cited the recent controlled release of Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview, an advanced AI model with cyber capabilities capable of identifying vulnerabilities across major operating systems and web browsers, including when operated by non-experts. The report said the development illustrates how rapidly evolving AI-driven cyber tools could amplify systemic financial risks if regulatory and supervisory safeguards fail to keep pace.
At the same time, the IMF pointed to OpenAI’s restricted cyber-focused version of GPT-5.5 as an example of efforts to strengthen defensive capabilities through governed and controlled deployment models.
The IMF said AI-powered cyberattacks present a structural challenge because attackers can exploit vulnerabilities at machine speed while institutions often require significantly longer periods to patch systems and restore operations. In a financial system dependent on common software providers, cloud infrastructure and digital networks, a single exploited weakness could spread rapidly across institutions and sectors, the fund said.
The IMF warned that cyber threats increasingly extend beyond individual institutions and could evolve into macro-financial shocks capable of undermining confidence, disrupting payments, triggering liquidity stress and forcing fire-sale asset liquidations. “AI may further concentrate risk and failures with one vulnerability rippling across many institutions,” the report said.
The fund also noted that financial institutions share digital infrastructure with sectors including energy, telecommunications and public services, raising the possibility of cross-sector disruptions from coordinated cyber incidents.
Despite the risks, the IMF said AI is also becoming a central component of cyber defense strategies. Banks and financial institutions are increasingly deploying AI-based systems to detect fraud, identify vulnerabilities and respond to incidents more rapidly. The report said AI can also help reduce vulnerabilities during software development rather than relying solely on post-release security patches.
Still, the IMF cautioned that the benefits would depend on stronger governance frameworks, human oversight and greater investment in resilience measures including disaster recovery systems, cyber hygiene programs and operational continuity planning.
The fund urged policymakers to treat cybersecurity as a core financial stability issue rather than solely a technical or operational challenge. It called for stronger resilience standards, enhanced supervision, cyber stress testing and closer public-private cooperation on intelligence sharing and incident response.
“Defenses will inevitably be breached, so resilience must also be a priority, specifically to limit how far incidents spread and ensure rapid recovery,” the IMF said. The analysis also highlighted risks facing emerging and developing economies, warning that countries with weaker cyber defenses and limited resources may become disproportionately exposed as AI cyber capabilities spread globally.
The IMF said stronger international coordination and expanded capacity-building efforts would be critical to preserving financial stability in an increasingly AI-driven cyber environment.
