'AI for everyone, everywhere, everything': one platform, half the staff building agents, 'digital employees' on the org chart.
How is BNY using AI?
BNY, America's oldest bank and the world's largest custodian, spends a larger share of revenue on technology than any big-bank peer — about $3.8 billion in 2025, roughly 19% of revenue — and CEO Robin Vince's mantra is that 'AI is for everyone, everywhere and for everything'. The vehicle is Eliza, an enterprise platform that nearly every employee is trained on and that more than half of them now use to build agents; by the first quarter of 2026 the bank reported about 220 AI solutions and 140 'digital employees' in production, up from 117 solutions six months earlier. BNY has tripled its intern and analyst classes since 2022 to hire for AI proficiency, saw headcount fall 7% year on year by mid-2026, and in July 2026 Vince joined OpenAI's board — the clearest public tie between a systemically important bank and a frontier-model developer.
Lead bank
The Bank of New York Mellon
Assets (lead bank, Mar 31, 2026)
$467 billion
Charter
State member bank (Fed)
Headquarters
New York, NY
Flagship platform
Eliza
AI leadership
Robin Vince · Leigh-Ann Russell · Sarthak Pattanaik · Michael Demissie · Carolyn Weinberg · Jennifer Barker · Carl Slabicki · Dermot McDonogh
- Technology spend of about $3.8 billion in 2025, roughly 19% of revenue — the highest proportion among large US banks, per CNBC's comparison.
- Eliza platform: nearly all employees trained; ~50% daily AI users and >50% building agents; ~220 enterprise AI solutions and ~140 digital employees in production (Q1 2026 deck); 117 solutions in production at September 30, 2025, up 75% in a quarter.
- Model partners on the platform: a multi-year OpenAI deal (February 2025, Deep Research and reasoning models) and Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise (December 2025) for employee-built data-analysis agents.
- Workforce: intern and analyst classes tripled since 2022 to tap AI proficiency; headcount down 7% year on year in Q2 2026 while revenue hit a record $5.7 billion; Vince calls AI 'a jobs creator, not a destroyer'.
- Research and outreach: a five-year, $10 million AI R&D agreement with Carnegie Mellon (September 2025); a Future of Work Alliance with the University of Manchester (May 2026); free AI and cyber training for 1,000 community-bank executives.
- Depth of use (CFO, July 2026): more than 40% of code AI-authored in the first quarter of 2026 and about 50% since; about half of annual account plans drafted with AI, 25% of client onboarding AI-supported and roughly 70% of restricted-party payment screening reviewed by AI.
- Governance on the record: the 2025 10-K says model risk management covers AI use cases including large language models inside a cross-functional AI risk framework; digital employees are 'onboarded, governed, and continuously monitored', says CIO Leigh-Ann Russell.
- July 2026: CEO Robin Vince appointed to OpenAI's for-profit and nonprofit boards ahead of its IPO.
What is Eliza?
BNY's enterprise AI platform, on which nearly all employees are trained; Eliza 2.0 launched in September 2025, OpenAI's models and Deep Research were added under a multi-year deal in February 2025 and Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise in December 2025. By the first quarter of 2026 about 50% of employees were daily AI users, more than 50% were building agents, and the bank counted roughly 220 enterprise AI solutions and 140 'digital employees' in production.[1][3][8][19][15]
What has BNY done on AI, and when?
- Sep 19, 2026
CFO: ~$4 billion annual engineering spend funds Eliza; expense outlook raised partly on AI[35]
At an investor conference McDonogh frames BNY's next growth phase around cross-selling and AI investment, says AI is meant to create capacity to reinvest in client delivery and product development rather than just cut headcount, flags AI's potential to modernise spreadsheet-heavy loan-market processes, and raises the 2026 expense-growth outlook to 6%-7%, partly on added data and AI investment.
- Sep 17, 2026
AI named as a factor amplifying payments fraud[34]
Carl Slabicki, Head of Commercial, Global Payments & Trade, tells PYMNTS that AI is changing the fraud landscape by amplifying social engineering and making deepfakes and synthetic-identity fraud more convincing.
- Aug 20, 2026
AI behind payments facilitation[31]
Payments head Jennifer Barker, who has led several AI initiatives, describes intelligent routing that picks the payment rail from client preferences.
- Jul 28, 2026
- Jul 21, 2026
- Jul 15, 2026
- May 28, 2026
Intern and analyst classes tripled since 2022[13]
Vince, 'an AI optimist', hires young staff for their AI proficiency.
- May 21, 2026
Future of Work Alliance with the University of Manchester[7]
Responsible, human-led AI research and testing.
- May 12, 2026
Inside the digital-employee programme[27]
Microsoft profile: about 2,300 staff through a 40-hour AI bootcamp; a payments digital employee cut open investigations by nearly 80%; a 'Digital Employee Agency' decides when to deploy agents rather than hire.
- May 4, 2026
Vince: AI is 'a jobs creator, not a destroyer'[17]
At Milken: savings in one place create capacity to do more elsewhere.
- Apr 16, 2026
Q1 call: 218 AI solutions in production, up fourfold[26]
Vince recounts the 2023 AI Hub and BNY's DGX SuperPOD with NVIDIA, the first at a global bank, and says 2026 moves from point solutions to end-to-end processes.
- Apr 16, 2026
- Feb 25, 2026
10-K: AI inside model risk management[25]
Model risk management covers AI use cases including large language models and sits within a cross-functional AI risk framework; a dedicated risk factor covers the development and use of AI.
- Feb 9, 2026
134 'digital employees'; $3.8 billion tech spend[10]
CNBC: about 19% of revenue, the highest proportion among peers.
- Jan 13, 2026
- Dec 8, 2025
Google Cloud Gemini Enterprise added to Eliza[19]
Employees build agents for data analysis such as parsing financial reports.
- Oct 28, 2025
Vince at Money20/20: adoption, not capability, is the constraint[18]
'Human adoption and culture and potentially organizational inertia' will get in the way.
- Oct 20, 2025
- Oct 16, 2025
117 AI solutions in production; Eliza 2.0[15]
Up 75% from the second quarter; Vince: 'AI is for everyone, everywhere and for everything'.
- Sep 11, 2025
$10 million, five-year AI R&D agreement with Carnegie Mellon[6]
Students, faculty and BNY experts on AI applications and systems.
- Sep 10, 2025
CIO: among the 5% seeing meaningful AI ROI[9]
Russell on Eliza and training employees toward 100% AI adoption.
- Feb 26, 2025
Multi-year OpenAI deal[8]
Access to Deep Research and OpenAI's most advanced reasoning models to 'supercharge' Eliza.
- Jan 22, 2025
Enterprise gen-AI assistant and anomaly detection described[5]
An AI solution for anomaly detection in daily calculations cuts hours to minutes; a firm-wide generative assistant helps staff find procedures.
- Sep 30, 2021
Strategic investment in Quantexa[33]
BNY Mellon joined Quantexa's Series D after a 12-month engagement using its platform, with an expanded relationship focused on 'data fabric' innovation (master data management, entity resolution, graph network intelligence and AI); its CIO of engineering and architecture joined Quantexa's board and its chief data officer the advisory board.
Where does BNY use AI today?
| System | What it does | Status | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eliza and employee-built agents[1][10] | Enterprise platform; more than half of employees building agents; ~140 digital employees on repetitive tasks. | In production | Generative & agentic AI |
| Anomaly detection in daily calculations[5] | Flags areas for review in minutes instead of hours. | In production | AI governance (general) |
| AI-generated code[16] | The CFO says engineers write a growing share of code with AI; the bank routes tasks to the most appropriate models. | In production | Generative & agentic AI |
| OpenAI and Google Cloud models on Eliza[8][19] | Multi-model platform: OpenAI (Feb 2025) and Gemini Enterprise (Dec 2025). | In production | Third-party & vendor AI |
| Community-bank AI training[21] | Free AI and cyber training for 1,000 community-bank executives, led by senior BNY leaders. | In production | AI governance (general) |
| Payments digital employees[27] | Agents that repair cross-border payment data and answer client payment inquiries; validations down from five or six minutes to under 30 seconds. | In production | Generative & agentic AI |
| AI review of restricted-party screening and communications surveillance[29][22] | Roughly 70% of restricted-party payment screening reviewed by AI; Behavox Quantum AI covers BNY's communication channels across 16-plus languages for compliance and conduct. | In production | AML / KYC |
| Azure document intelligence in lockbox[27] | More than 500,000 check images a day read with Azure document intelligence, alongside Copilot tools for employees. | In production | Third-party & vendor AI |
| Model risk management for AI and LLMs[25] | An active model inventory and independent validation extended to AI use cases, including large language models, within a cross-functional AI risk framework. | In production | Model risk management |
Use-case links open the tracker's rules-by-use-case matrix: which documents govern each system type.
Which AI vendors and fintechs does BNY work with?
| Company | What BNY uses it for | Status | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantexa | Data unification, entity resolution, master data management and graph analytics ('data fabric') across the bank since a 12-month engagement before its 2021 investment; an early adopter of the Q Assist generative AI copilot in 2024. Not described as an AML deployment. | In production | AML compliance |
| Snapdocs | Joint initiative, announced May 2026, to deliver automated collateral delivery and eCustody that combines BNY's document custody with Snapdocs' eVault, document classification and data extraction. | Announced | Document AI |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Copilot made broadly available to employees in November 2023; roughly half the workforce is licensed for Microsoft 365 Copilot, per Microsoft WorkLab. | In production | Enterprise AI assistants |
| ChatGPT Enterprise (OpenAI) | ChatGPT and the API inside BNY's Eliza platform, with OpenAI frontier models; OpenAI reports 20,000 employees building agents. | In production | Enterprise AI assistants |
| Gemini Enterprise (Google Cloud) | Gemini Enterprise integrated into BNY's Eliza platform so employees can build data-analysis agents; Google lists BNY among financial institutions using it. | In production | Enterprise AI assistants |
Each vendor and fintech page cites the source for the relationship, and vendor pages list products, pricing and other bank customers. Compare AI tools for banks by category, or read the fintech and neobank AI dossiers.
What has BNY disclosed in numbers?
| Metric | Value | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Technology spend | ≈ $3.8 billion (2025), ≈ 19% of revenue[10] | Feb 9, 2026 |
| Daily AI users / agent builders | ≈ 50% / > 50% of employees[1] | Apr 16, 2026 |
| AI solutions / digital employees in production | ≈ 220 / ≈ 140[1] | Apr 16, 2026 |
| Headcount change | −7% year on year[16] | Jul 15, 2026 |
| Assets under custody / administration | $59.4 trillion[14] | Apr 16, 2026 |
| Carnegie Mellon AI agreement | $10 million over five years[6] | Sep 11, 2025 |
| Employees on Eliza / AI solutions / digital employees / AI patent applications | 99% / 160 / 134 / > 60[23] | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Code authored by AI | > 40% (Q1 2026), ≈ 50% by July 2026[29] | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Account plans drafted with AI / onboarding AI-supported / restricted-party screening reviewed by AI | ≈ 50% / 25% / ≈ 70%[29] | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Revenue per employee | $338,000 (2022) → $401,000 (2025)[29] | Dec 31, 2025 |
| AI bootcamp graduates (40-hour programme) | ≈ 2,300 since April 2025[27] | May 12, 2026 |
| Annual engineering spend (funds the Eliza platform) | ≈ $4 billion[35] | Sep 19, 2026 |
| 2026 expense-growth outlook | 6%-7% (raised, partly on data/AI investment)[35] | Sep 19, 2026 |
“At BNY, AI is for everyone, everywhere and for everything.”[15]
Robin Vince · Chairman and CEO · Oct 16, 2025
“I am an AI optimist. I think this is a revolutionary technology that for sure has to be well-managed.”[13]
Robin Vince · Chairman and CEO · May 28, 2026
“We've been quite constrained in our spending, and we've been very disciplined, we continue to spend more on cyber resiliency than we do on AI.”[24]
Dermot McDonogh · Chief Financial Officer · Jan 13, 2026
“At BNY, we continue to view AI as 1 of the most important long term opportunities for our company.”[28]
Robin Vince · Chairman and CEO · Jul 15, 2026
“We launched our first digital employee in 2025 with the same approach as our enterprise-wide systems—governance was built in from the start.”[30]
Leigh-Ann Russell · CIO and Global Head of Engineering · Aug 4, 2026
“AI is changing the fraud landscape, amplifying social engineering, making deepfakes convincing, and scaling synthetic identity and account takeover.”[34]
Carl Slabicki · Head of Commercial, Global Payments & Trade · Sep 17, 2026
Who runs AI at BNY?
Robin VinceLinkedIn ↗
Chairman and CEO; OpenAI board member since July 2026[12][18]
Sarthak Pattanaik
Chief Data and AI Officer[19]
Michael DemissieLinkedIn ↗
Head of Applied AI[27]
Jennifer BarkerLinkedIn ↗
Global Head of Payments & Trade and Depositary Receipts[31]
Carl Slabicki
Head of Commercial, Global Payments & Trade[34]
Dermot McDonoghLinkedIn ↗
What AI roles is BNY hiring for?
12 open AI-related postings on BNY's careers site as of Oct 1, 2026. A snapshot of current openings, not a source: postings close.
Senior Vice President, AI Strategy Lead
New York, NY, United States · posted Sep 25, 2026
SVP - Model Risk Management AI, Wealth and Investments
New York, NY, United States · posted Jul 28, 2026
Senior Vice President, AI Governance & Controls (APAC AI Hub)
Singapore, Singapore, Singapore · posted Sep 10, 2026
Director, Applied AI Product Manager
New York, NY, United States · posted Sep 9, 2026
Director, Product Manager, Developer Experience, AI
New York, NY, United States · posted Aug 18, 2026
Director, AI / Machine Learning Data Engineer
New York, NY, United States · posted Sep 21, 2026
Director, AI / Machine Learning Software Engineer
London, United Kingdom · posted Sep 7, 2026
Pittsburgh, PA, United States · posted Sep 28, 2026
Senior Specialist, Agentic KYC Review & Controls
Singapore, Singapore, Singapore · posted Sep 29, 2026
Pittsburgh, PA, United States · posted Sep 28, 2026
Vice President, AI Infrastructure Support Engineer
Lake Mary, FL, United States · posted Sep 10, 2026
Vice President, OPS AI Implementation
Pune, MH, India · posted Oct 1, 2026
Which regulators govern BNY's AI?
| Authority | Why it matters here | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Reserve | State member bank and G-SIB holding company; SR 26-2 and the third-party guidance govern the OpenAI and Google dependencies on Eliza. | SR 26-2 SR 23-4 |
| NY DFS | New York-chartered: Part 500 certification and the DFS frontier-AI letter apply. | 23 NYCRR Part 500 DFS Frontier AI Models Industry Letter (May 2026) |
| Basel Committee | Custody at $59 trillion makes BCBS 239 data lineage and the third-party principles central. | BCBS 239 BCBS Third-Party Risk Principles (Dec 2025) |
| FSB | G-SIB; the FSB's concentration warning names a few model providers — one of whose boards the CEO now sits on. | FSB AI sound practices consultation (June 2026) FSB AI financial stability report (Nov 2024) |
| SEC | Investment-services and asset-management businesses under SEC exam priorities on AI. | Division of Examinations FY2026 Priorities |
Side by side: SR 11-7 vs SR 26-2 · PRA SS1/23 vs SR 26-2 · all comparisons.
What does the public record suggest about BNY's AI strategy?
Analysis by BankingNewsAI from the sources cited on this page. Observations, not advice.
01
The most decentralised agent program in banking
More than half of employees building agents is a different governance problem from a central AI team shipping use cases. The 'digital employee' count and the routing of tasks to appropriate models are how the bank makes that legible; supervisors will ask how it is inventoried.
02
A board seat at a model provider is a conflict to be managed, not hidden
Vince on OpenAI's boards while BNY runs OpenAI models on Eliza is disclosed and public. Expect questions on vendor selection and on how the bank's third-party risk program treats the relationship.
03
Headcount is falling while hiring rises — the BNY version of the workforce story
−7% headcount, tripled junior classes and 'jobs creator' rhetoric describe a reshaped pyramid, not a smaller one. It is the model other custody and operations-heavy banks will be measured against.
04
Outcomes over tokens
The CFO's refusal to report prompt counts sets BNY apart from peers reporting prompts per day; it is a deliberate choice that will age well if AI costs keep rising.
- BNY builds “AI for everyone, everywhere” with OpenAI
- BNY's Barker on what really concerns clients about AI and payments
- AI in the C-suite: BNY CEO and OpenAI board member Robin Vince
- How I use AI: BNY CEO and OpenAI board member Robin Vince
- BNY skipped the ‘tokenmaxxing’ craze. Here’s what AI metrics it tracks instead
What is Eliza at BNY?
Eliza is BNY's enterprise AI platform, on which nearly all employees are trained. Eliza 2.0 launched in September 2025; it runs OpenAI's models under a multi-year agreement announced in February 2025 and added Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise in December 2025 so employees can build their own agents. By the first quarter of 2026 about half of employees used AI daily, more than half were building agents, and the bank counted roughly 220 AI solutions and 140 'digital employees' in production.
How much does BNY spend on technology?
About $3.8 billion in 2025, roughly 19% of revenue — the highest proportion among large US banks according to CNBC's comparison in February 2026.
- Quarterly Update Presentation, 1Q 2026
- Quarterly Update Presentation, 2Q 2026
- Unlocking Value with BNY's Enterprise AI Platform
- AI in the Next Phase: Driving Adoption
- Unlocking AI Growth in Financial Services
- BNY and Carnegie Mellon University Join Forces to Advance Research and Development in AI
- BNY and The University of Manchester Launch the Future of Work Alliance
- BNY, America's Oldest Bank, Signs Multiyear Deal With OpenAI
- BNY among 5% seeing meaningful return on investment from AI, says CIO
- Digital employees, AI bootcamps: America's oldest bank is spending billions on tech
- OpenAI appoints two new members to board of directors
- OpenAI Names BNY, Nubank CEOs to Board Ahead of IPO
- BNY Triples Hiring of Interns and Analysts to Tap AI Proficiency
- BNY's profit rises on strong fees, interest income growth
- BNY moves quickly to adopt AI solutions, platforms
- BNY: AI bet is paying off, client impact is 'measurable'
- BNY CEO says AI is a jobs creator, not a destroyer
- BNY's Robin Vince stays big on AI
- BNY looks to Google Cloud for agentic AI push
- AI adoption will trim banking industry costs by up to 20%
- 'These players matter': BNY embraces role on small lenders' AI journey
- BNY Upgrades Compliance Monitoring by Completing Implementation of Behavox Quantum AI
- Exhibit 99.3: Quarterly Update Presentation, 4Q 2025 (Form 8-K)
- BNY Mellon (BK) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
- Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2025, Exhibit 13.1 (financial section and risk factors)
- BNY Mellon (BK) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
- The making of a Frontier Firm: How AI is redesigning work at BNY
- BNY (BNY) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
- BNY skipped the 'tokenmaxxing' craze. Here's what AI metrics it tracks instead
- Your AI agent can be a teammate. But it still needs a boss
- BNY's Barker on what really concerns clients about AI and payments
- BNY's Carolyn Weinberg on trusted infrastructure and where tokenization gets real
- BNY Mellon Invests in Quantexa Technology
- Digital Fraud Forces Issuers to Rethink Trust in the AI Era
- BNY Sees Cross-Selling and AI Investments Fueling Its Next Growth Phase
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