“IMF analysis suggests that extreme cyber incident losses could trigger funding strains, raise solvency concerns, and disrupt broader markets,” the organization said in a blog post published on Thursday.
The IMF noted that AI-enabled cyber tools are making attacks more dangerous because vulnerabilities can now be discovered and exploited at a much faster scale. According to the blog, this raises concerns not only for individual institutions but for the wider financial system.
The organization said the risks are “systemic” because the financial sector shares digital infrastructure with other critical sectors such as energy, telecommunications and public services.
“That means AI‑assisted attacks can propagate across sectors that rely on the same infrastructure,” it wrote.
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The IMF also warned that growing dependence on a limited number of software platforms, cloud service providers and AI models “increases the impact of any single exploited weakness.”
“AI may further concentrate risk and failures with one vulnerability rippling across many institutions,” it added.
The blog added that multiple attacks happening at the same time could create “confidence effects, payment disruptions, liquidity strains, and fire sale dynamics” that may destabilize core financial functions.
The warning comes shortly after Anthropic released its advanced AI model Claude Mythos Preview.
According to the IMF, the model demonstrated “exceptional cyber capabilities” and was able to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in major operating systems and web browsers even when operated by non-experts.
“This foreshadows how fast‑moving, AI‑driven cyber risks could destabilize the financial system if not managed carefully, and why authorities must focus on building resilience through supervision and coordination—rather than treating these developments as purely technical or operational issues,” the organization added.
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At the same time, the organization said AI can also strengthen cybersecurity efforts. It noted that financial institutions are increasingly using AI-based tools to detect fraud, identify vulnerabilities and prevent attacks.
“AI can also help reduce vulnerabilities at the development stage rather than patching them after release,” the IMF said and added that such improvements could “meaningfully reduce systemic exposure.”
It stressed that these benefits would depend on proper governance, human oversight and investment in security systems.
IMF further said AI-driven cyber risks require stronger policy action that treats cybersecurity as a major financial stability issue.
The organization also called for stronger international cooperation, saying “cyber risks does not respect borders.” It warned that emerging and developing economies could face greater exposure because of weaker cyber defenses and limited resources.
