Bank of England Survey Finds 80% of UK Financial Firms Use AI Agents

Oct 27, 2026
A Bank of England and FCA survey found 86% of UK financial firms use AI and 80% have AI agents in production, mostly with limited autonomy.

86% of UK financial services firms surveyed use AI, up from 75% in 2024, according to a joint survey by the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority. Generative AI made up 56% of all reported AI systems, compared with 17% for foundation models two years ago.

80% of respondents said they have AI agents in production, and another 14% plan to deploy them within a year. Most agents have limited autonomy: they recommend actions while humans decide and execute. Only 2% of firms reported agents with broad autonomy.

About 7% of reported AI systems were rated high materiality, down from 16% in 2024, although the absolute number rose. Operations and IT accounted for about 31% of AI systems. The survey covered 196 firms, including 95 smaller firms that could answer a shorter questionnaire.

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