JPMorgan Chase leads global banks in AI adoption

JPMorgan Chase has retained its position as the world’s most advanced bank in artificial intelligence, according to the Evident AI Index 2025, as competition among global financial institutions to deploy AI at scale continues to accelerate.

The annual index, published by research firm Evident, ranks the AI maturity of 50 major banks across North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region using more than 70 indicators drawn from millions of public data points. JPMorgan Chase once again topped the list, followed by Capital One and the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), all of which held their positions for a third consecutive year.

The top 10 banks in the Index are advancing in AI adoption more than twice as fast as the rest of the field, Evident said, reflecting growing returns from years of sustained investment.

US banks dominate the rankings

The 2025 top 10 is increasingly led by US-headquartered institutions, with six American banks featured: JPMorgan Chase, Capital One, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America. RBC, UBS and HSBC remain the leading performers in Canada, Europe and the UK respectively.

Goldman Sachs and Bank of America were new entrants to the top 10 this year. Bank of America climbed five places to tenth, supported by the broad rollout of AI initiatives including its “Erica” virtual assistant, while Goldman Sachs re-entered the top ranks for the first time since 2023. Morgan Stanley rose to fifth place after expanding organisation-wide AI programmes and establishing new partnerships, including with Columbia University.

The 2025 top 10 banks in AI maturity are:

Bank	2025 Index	2024 Index	2024-25 Change
JPMorganChase	1	1	–
Capital One	2	2	–
Royal Bank of Canada	3	3	–
CommBank	4	5	+1
Morgan Stanley	5	10	+5
Wells Fargo	6	4	-2
UBS	7	6	-1
HSBC	8	7	-1
Goldman Sachs	9	11	+2
Bank of America	10	15	+5

Just outside the top 10, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, TD Bank, BBVA and Lloyds Banking Group all reported score increases of more than 20% year-on-year, underscoring the pace of competition among mid-tier performers.

Returns on AI investment emerging

Evident’s report found that AI adoption is increasingly generating measurable business value. Eight banks now disclose group-level return-on-investment (ROI) estimates, with three – BNP Paribas, DBS and JPMorgan Chase – reporting both realised and projected financial benefits. JPMorgan Chase recently raised its AI-driven benefit estimate from US$1 billion to nearly US$2 billion, according to company president Daniel Pinto.

The number of banks disclosing active AI use cases has more than doubled since last year, from 12 to 25, while 32 out of 50 have published data on financial or operational impacts.

Expanding talent and research

Evident’s analysis shows that the top 10 banks collectively employ nearly half of all AI professionals in the study – around 90,000 people. The AI workforce across the 50 banks grew 25% in the past year, roughly five times faster than overall headcount growth.

JPMorgan Chase ranked first in three of the Index’s four pillars – Innovation, Leadership and Transparency – while Capital One led on Talent, supported by the expansion of its AI research capacity following its merger with Discover.

Responsible AI and transparency

Transparency and responsible AI practices have also increased across the sector. Thirty-five banks now participate in partnerships with universities, regulators or private organisations on AI governance, and the number of research papers on responsible AI published by banks rose 60% over the year.

“Banking is one of the most advanced and competitive industries on the planet when it comes to developing and rolling out AI at scale,” Mousavizadeh said. “We’re beginning to see clear signs that AI investment is starting to translate into tangible financial gains. Those in our top 10 are in pole position to see their efforts come to fruition.”

She warned that slower-moving institutions face increasing risks.

“Bifurcation in AI maturity creates a credibility gap. Banks that fail to keep pace risk losing the confidence of boards, regulators and investors, as well as the ability to attract and retain top-tier AI talent.”

Co-founder Annabel Ayles added that the next 12 to 18 months will be pivotal as banks begin reporting financial results from large-scale AI deployments.

“Our data strongly suggests that reportable AI returns is imminent. If they exceed expectations, current AI investment levels could pale in comparison to what comes next,” she said.

Evident’s findings suggest that the AI race in banking is entering a new phase, where leadership depends not only on innovation and research but also on the ability to convert years of experimentation into measurable business outcomes.