JPMorgan clinches top spot again: See 10 banks leading AI race in 2026

In October 2026, Evident, an intelligence platform, unveiled the Evident AI Index, a tool that evaluates AI readiness among banks worldwide. The index scrutinizes 50 of the world's largest banks in North America, Europe, and Asia. JPMorgan Chase secured the top position for the first time in the index's history. Remarkably, the bank has retained this lead position since the index's inception.

Evident highlighted that this consistent performance across the four key pillars - talent, innovation, leadership, and transparency - is what drives JPMorgan's success. The bank leads in the total number of reported outcomes from various AI use cases, covering almost all business functions and sectors. It is also commended for the sophistication of its automated workflows, which range from intellectual tasks to physical operations.

Other top performers in the AI race include Capital One and the Royal Bank of Canada in second and third place, respectively. CommBank, Wells Fargo, and UBS rounded out the top five. Bank of America, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley held the sixth, seventh, and eighth positions. Finally, TD Bank concluded the top ten. The Evident AI Index, launched in January 2023, now monitors over 175 financial institutions, including banks, insurers, payment networks, and processors.

The index's assessment is based solely on publicly available data. This is the fifth edition of the Evident AI Index methodology, with ongoing enhancements to better capture AI capabilities.