# First Citizens BancShares: Research and IP

Source: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/first-citizens/ai-research-patents-partnerships
Last updated: Oct 16, 2026

*Part of the [First Citizens BancShares AI strategy profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/first-citizens).*

## What AI research, patents and partnerships does First Citizens have?

First Citizens' AI research output is market research, not model research: its Silicon Valley Bank division, renamed First Citizens Innovation Banking in October 2026, publishes 20-plus signature reports a year, and AI has become their main subject. They found that one in four healthcare investment dollars went to AI companies (June 2024), AI took 58% of US VC dollars (August 2025), AI was 46% of healthcare investment in 2025 (January 2026) and that 42% of 9,000 VC-backed companies marketing themselves as AI show little evidence that AI is central to their technology (H2 2026). Named AI partners are few: Microsoft (an enterprise Copilot rollout), CB Insights, whose ChatCBI agent and MCP tools are offered to SVB startup clients (September 2026), Corgi's AI-native insurance (June 2026), AI tools from ElevenLabs, Lovable Labs, Patlytics and Replit in the SVB Offers marketplace, and Pinegrove Venture Partners, a venture lender focused on areas including AI and compute infrastructure, with which SVB had originated $1.7 billion of commitments by June 30, 2026. No university AI center, frontier-lab partnership or AI venture investment by the bank itself is public, and BankingNewsAI found no AI patent assigned to the bank. ([First Citizens Bank](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/image/SVB-Fact-Sheet-2Q26.pdf), [First Citizens Bank](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/2026-10-06-First-Citizens-Bank-Launches-New-Innovation-Banking-Brand), [First Citizens Bank (Silicon Valley Bank)](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/2024-06-11-AI-Investments-Dominate-Healthcare-Silicon-Valley-Bank-Releases-New-AI-Patient-Journey-Report), [Silicon Valley Bank (First Citizens)](https://svb.com/news/company-news/ai-continues-to-fuel-us-vc-investment-despite-higher-burn-rates-silicon-valley-bank-releases-latest-state-of-the-markets-report), [First Citizens Bank](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/2026-01-08-AI-Investment-Accounted-for-Nearly-Half-of-Healthcare-Investment-in-2025-Silicon-Valley-Bank-Releases-17th-Healthcare-Investments-and-Exits-Report), [First Citizens Innovation Banking (Silicon Valley Bank)](https://svb.com/trends-insights/reports/state-of-the-markets-report), [First Citizens Bank](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/2026-09-03-A-Q-A-With-Scott-Richardson-AI-at-First-Citizens-Bank), [CB Insights (PR Newswire)](https://prnewswire.com/news-releases/cb-insights-joins-silicon-valley-banks-partner-network-to-give-innovators-a-competitive-edge-302881431.html), [Corgi (PR Newswire)](https://prnewswire.com/news-releases/corgi-insurance-and-silicon-valley-bank-partner-to-connect-clients-to-preferred-coverage-solutions-302803621.html), [Pinegrove Credit Partners (PR Newswire)](https://prnewswire.com/news-releases/pinegrove-credit-partners-and-temasek-announce-strategic-partnership-to-support-innovation-through-venture-debt-302771501.html))

## What has First Citizens' innovation-banking research found about AI?

Reports from the Silicon Valley Bank division (First Citizens Innovation Banking from October 2026), with the headline AI finding of each as the bank published it. These are market studies built on proprietary and PitchBook data, not technical research.

| Report | AI finding | Date | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AI-Powered Healthcare Experience | A record one in four healthcare investment dollars goes to companies leveraging AI; 60% of healthcare AI dollars go to administrative and clinical uses; $11.1 billion of AI healthcare VC projected for 2024 | June 11, 2024 | [First Citizens Bank (Silicon Valley Bank)](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/2024-06-11-AI-Investments-Dominate-Healthcare-Silicon-Valley-Bank-Releases-New-AI-Patient-Journey-Report) |
| Future of Frontier Technology 2025 | VC investment in frontier technology up 47% year over year, driven by AI-driven demand for compute power, defense innovation and industrial automation | June 10, 2025 | [First Citizens Bank (Silicon Valley Bank)](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/2025-06-10-Investment-in-Frontier-Technology-Increases-Year-Over-Year-Silicon-Valley-Bank-Releases-New-Report) |
| Healthcare Investments and Exits, 16th edition | All healthcare sectors saw strong growth in AI deal activity over three years while companies not leveraging AI saw a 20% decrease; AI-related healthtech deals doubled in 12 months | July 29, 2025 | [First Citizens Bank (Silicon Valley Bank)](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/2025-07-29-AI-Deal-Activity-Remains-Strong-in-Healthcare-Amid-Decline-in-Fundraising-Silicon-Valley-Bank-Releases-16th-Edition-of-Healthcare-Investments-and-Exits-Report) |
| State of the Markets (mid-2025) | AI companies took 36% of US VC deals and 58% of VC dollars; the median Series A AI company burned $5 to gain $1 of new revenue | August 5, 2025 | [Silicon Valley Bank (First Citizens)](https://svb.com/news/company-news/ai-continues-to-fuel-us-vc-investment-despite-higher-burn-rates-silicon-valley-bank-releases-latest-state-of-the-markets-report) |
| Future of Fintech 2025 | AI was 58% of VC investment in 2025; AI-enabled fintech startups accounted for 30% of total VC investment; fintech is 'one of the least saturated spaces for AI adoption' | October 21, 2025 | [First Citizens Bank (Silicon Valley Bank)](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/2025-10-21-Fintech-Investment-Remains-Stable-Offering-Opportunities-for-Growth-Outside-of-AI-Silicon-Valley-Bank-Releases-Annual-Fintech-Report) |
| Healthcare Investments and Exits, 17th edition | AI accounted for 46% of healthcare investment in 2025 | January 8, 2026 | [First Citizens Bank](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/2026-01-08-AI-Investment-Accounted-for-Nearly-Half-of-Healthcare-Investment-in-2025-Silicon-Valley-Bank-Releases-17th-Healthcare-Investments-and-Exits-Report) |
| State of the Markets H1 2026 | $560 billion of US VC into AI since 2022; AI-related categories contributed 10% to 30% of quarterly US GDP growth in 2025 | March 2026 | [Silicon Valley Bank (First Citizens)](https://svb.com/trends-insights/reports/state-of-the-markets-report/h1-2026) |
| State of the Markets H2 2026 | 42% of 9,000 VC-backed companies that market themselves as AI show little evidence AI is central to their technology ('AI washing'); about 1,600 new founders could emerge from SpaceX, Anthropic and OpenAI IPOs | July 2026 (data through June 30, 2026) | [First Citizens Innovation Banking (Silicon Valley Bank)](https://svb.com/trends-insights/reports/state-of-the-markets-report) |

## Who are First Citizens' AI partners?

Every partner the bank or the partner has named publicly. Most are offered to innovation-banking clients rather than used by the bank itself.

| Partner | Type | What it is | Date | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Microsoft | Productivity AI (bank's own use) | Enterprise rollout of Microsoft Copilot for associate productivity | September 2026 | [First Citizens Bank](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/2026-09-03-A-Q-A-With-Scott-Richardson-AI-at-First-Citizens-Bank) |
| CB Insights | Client partner network | SVB startup clients get CB Insights market intelligence, its ChatCBI AI agent and model context protocol (MCP) tools for market analysis and target sourcing | September 17, 2026 | [CB Insights (PR Newswire)](https://prnewswire.com/news-releases/cb-insights-joins-silicon-valley-banks-partner-network-to-give-innovators-a-competitive-edge-302881431.html) |
| ElevenLabs, Lovable Labs, Patlytics, Replit | Client marketplace | AI offers listed in the SVB division's partner marketplace, where clients get discounts or credits | September 2026 | [First Citizens Bank](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/2026-09-03-A-Q-A-With-Scott-Richardson-AI-at-First-Citizens-Bank) |
| Corgi Insurance | Client referral | SVB connects clients to Corgi's AI-native insurance platform and underwriting | June 17, 2026 | [Corgi (PR Newswire)](https://prnewswire.com/news-releases/corgi-insurance-and-silicon-valley-bank-partner-to-connect-clients-to-preferred-coverage-solutions-302803621.html) |
| Pinegrove Venture Partners | Lending relationship | Worked alongside SVB's venture lending platform since 2012, formalised December 2024; lends to areas including AI and compute infrastructure; $1.7 billion of commitments originated together by June 30, 2026 | 2012; 2024; 2026 | [Pinegrove Credit Partners (PR Newswire)](https://prnewswire.com/news-releases/pinegrove-credit-partners-and-temasek-announce-strategic-partnership-to-support-innovation-through-venture-debt-302771501.html), [First Citizens Bank](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/image/SVB-Fact-Sheet-2Q26.pdf) |
| Industry forums, FFIEC and NIST | Standards | Works with financial-industry partners in industry forums on best practices against Frontier AI threats; layered defense aligned to FFIEC guidance, NIST 800-53 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework | July 2026 | [First Citizens Bank](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/image/First-Citizens-Bank-Frontier-AI-Fact-Sheet.pdf) |

## What AI research and IP does First Citizens not have?

No in-house research publication program, academic center or model-provider partnership is on the record. The bank's own description of its AI work is an in-house team building 'platform building blocks' and a Microsoft Copilot rollout; no frontier lab, GPU or cloud-AI vendor is named. ([First Citizens Bank](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/2026-09-03-A-Q-A-With-Scott-Richardson-AI-at-First-Citizens-Bank))

The research the bank does publish is a client product: the SVB fact sheet counts 20-plus signature reports a year 'based on proprietary and industry data', and the State of the Markets series is written by the division's president and its market-insights researchers. ([First Citizens Bank](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/image/SVB-Fact-Sheet-2Q26.pdf), [First Citizens Innovation Banking (Silicon Valley Bank)](https://svb.com/trends-insights/reports/state-of-the-markets-report))

The 2025 10-K lists, among AI risks, that generative AI models may 'infringe intellectual property', and that third-party model development brings risks including 'unauthorized material in training data'; it says nothing about the bank's own AI intellectual property. ([First Citizens BancShares (SEC filing)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/798941/000079894126000015/fcnca-20251231.htm))

## What does the First Citizens profile record on this topic?

| Date | Move | Detail | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sep 17, 2026 | CB Insights joins SVB's partner network with its ChatCBI AI agent | SVB (a First Citizens division) clients gain access to CB Insights' market intelligence on 13 million companies and ChatCBI, an AI agent using model context protocol (MCP) tools for market analysis and target sourcing. | [CB Insights (PR Newswire)](https://prnewswire.com/news-releases/cb-insights-joins-silicon-valley-banks-partner-network-to-give-innovators-a-competitive-edge-302881431.html) |
| Jul 27, 2026 | SVB fact sheet for 2Q26 sets out the innovation-banking book | $123 billion of client funds, $48 billion of loans and $1.7 billion of loan commitments originated with Pinegrove at June 30, 2026; research reports cover AI among other topics; rebrand to First Citizens Innovation Banking set for Q4 2026. | [First Citizens Bank](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/image/SVB-Fact-Sheet-2Q26.pdf) |
| Jun 17, 2026 | Corgi Insurance partnership for SVB clients | SVB connects clients to Corgi's AI-native insurance platform, with AI-native underwriting aimed at simpler applications and tailored pricing for startups in AI, SaaS, fintech and healthcare. | [Corgi (PR Newswire)](https://prnewswire.com/news-releases/corgi-insurance-and-silicon-valley-bank-partner-to-connect-clients-to-preferred-coverage-solutions-302803621.html) |
| May 13, 2026 | Pinegrove and Temasek venture-debt partnership names SVB relationship | Pinegrove Credit Partners says it has worked alongside SVB's venture lending platform since 2012 and formalised a strategic lending relationship in December 2024; its lending focus includes AI and compute infrastructure. | [Pinegrove Credit Partners (PR Newswire)](https://prnewswire.com/news-releases/pinegrove-credit-partners-and-temasek-announce-strategic-partnership-to-support-innovation-through-venture-debt-302771501.html) |
| Mar 1, 2026 | SVB H1 2026 State of the Markets report | AI has attracted $560 billion of US VC since 2022, equal to dot-com era deployment; AI-related investment categories contributed 10% to 30% of quarterly US GDP growth in 2025. | [Silicon Valley Bank (First Citizens)](https://svb.com/trends-insights/reports/state-of-the-markets-report/h1-2026) |
| Jan 8, 2026 | SVB report: AI was 46% of healthcare investment in 2025 | The 17th Healthcare Investments and Exits report. | [First Citizens Bank](https://newsroom.firstcitizens.com/2026-01-08-AI-Investment-Accounted-for-Nearly-Half-of-Healthcare-Investment-in-2025-Silicon-Valley-Bank-Releases-17th-Healthcare-Investments-and-Exits-Report) |
| Aug 5, 2025 | SVB State of the Markets: AI took 58% of US VC dollars | AI companies accounted for 36% of VC deals and 58% of total VC investment; the median Series A AI company burned $5 to gain $1 of new revenue. Marc Cadieux co-authored the report. | [Silicon Valley Bank (First Citizens)](https://svb.com/news/company-news/ai-continues-to-fuel-us-vc-investment-despite-higher-burn-rates-silicon-valley-bank-releases-latest-state-of-the-markets-report) |
| May 20, 2025 | SVB report: 40% of US startup funding came from AI-focused funds | The 'zombiecorn' report on AI cash and struggling unicorns. | [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/20/ai-startups-unicorns-zombiecorns.html) |

## Common questions

### Does First Citizens hold any AI patents?

None on the public record. An assignee search of Google Patents in October 2026 returned no AI-related patent or application assigned to First-Citizens Bank & Trust; the bank's name appears only as secured party on borrowers' patents. The bank has not described any patent program, and its 2025 10-K discusses intellectual-property risk from generative AI only as a risk of using such models.

### What AI research does Silicon Valley Bank publish under First Citizens?

Market research on AI investment. Recent editions found AI took 58% of US VC dollars (August 2025), 46% of healthcare investment in 2025 (January 2026), and that 42% of 9,000 VC-backed companies marketing themselves as AI show little evidence AI is central to their technology (H2 2026 State of the Markets). Earlier reports covered AI in healthcare (June 2024) and frontier technology (June 2025).

### Does First Citizens work with OpenAI, Anthropic or Google?

No such partnership is public. The only AI technology provider the bank names for its own use is Microsoft, through the enterprise Copilot rollout. Its innovation-banking division offers clients tools from CB Insights, ElevenLabs, Lovable Labs, Patlytics and Replit, and its research has discussed the possible OpenAI and Anthropic IPOs, but that is commentary, not a relationship.

### What is the CB Insights partnership with SVB?

Announced September 17, 2026, it adds CB Insights to the SVB Offers partner program: SVB startup-banking clients get access to CB Insights' private-company intelligence and its ChatCBI AI agent and model context protocol tools for market analysis and target sourcing, to find partners, customers, investors, talent and exit opportunities.

### Is Pinegrove an AI partner of First Citizens?

It is a lending partner whose focus includes AI. Pinegrove Credit Partners lends to venture-backed companies in areas including AI and compute infrastructure, defense, space, energy and robotics; it has worked alongside SVB's venture lending platform since 2012 and formalised a strategic lending relationship in December 2024. SVB reported $1.7 billion of loan commitments originated together by June 30, 2026.
## Deeper on First Citizens

- [What is First Citizens' AI strategy?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/first-citizens/ai-strategy)
- [How does First Citizens govern AI and manage its risks?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/first-citizens/responsible-ai)
- [How does First Citizens bank and lend to the AI economy?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/first-citizens/innovation-banking-ai)


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