Crisil Coalition Greenwich Research Finds Banks Plan to Stick with Mainframe Computers, Even in the Age of Cloud Computing and Artificial Intelligence
- 71% of bank technology executives say AI will not challenge the use of existing mainframe
- 92% say more than half of core banking applications still rely on mainframe
August 13, 2026 — Nearly three-quarters of bank CIOs, CTOs, and technology executives believe they can stick with mainframe computers as their organizations embrace artificial intelligence (AI), according to a new report from Crisil Coalition Greenwich, Even AI can’t take down the mainframe
Despite growing adoption of cloud computing and AI, many banking applications (e.g., deposits, loans, payments) remain heavily dependent on mainframes. In fact, more than 90% of the bank technology executives participating in the study say that more than half of their organization’s core banking applications rely on mainframes, and banks contend they will remain there.
Rather than migrating banking applications en masse to the cloud, banks are focusing on modernizing mainframe applications.
“Most CIOs/CTOs will retire before any mainframe plans are fully abandoned, and the question of balancing mainframe use versus the cloud will be inherited by millennial and Gen Z professionals,” says David Easthope, Senior Analyst in Market Structure & Technology at Crisil Coalition Greenwich and author of the report.
Most tech executives think mainframes can handle AI workloads
Bank technology executives have long wrestled with the question of cloud versus on-premise architecture. Today, the debate has moved beyond general questions about the cost, scalability and security of cloud computing and mainframes to focus on the more specific question of where AI workloads should run.
“Despite the bullet-proof nature of mainframe computing, the future of the banking industry is undoubtably a hybrid environment in which mainframes and cloud computing coexist and support different workloads,” says David Easthope. “Banks will continue to modernize core applications on mainframes, while using cloud infrastructure where it provides greater flexibility, speed or access to new capabilities like AI.”
Even AI can’t take down the mainframe presents the results of the recent study for which the firm interviewed 15 highly qualified technology professionals at banks in North America and the United Kingdom and Europe. The report breaks down the share of banking workflows running on mainframe computers, analyzes perceptions of mainframes, assesses bank plans regarding mainframes versus cloud computing, and discusses the future role of mainframe computing in supporting AI applications.