Benefits of the AI boom for banks: US financial giants report record profits

The largest US investment banks have recorded record commission income against the backdrop of a massive capital inflow into AI infrastructure. According to reports from financial giants like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Morgan Stanley, the technological revolution has triggered a new "supercycle" in financial markets. This process is enriching bank coffers not only through software developers but also by financing data centers and energy systems. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports .

Goldman Sachs reported $3.4 billion in investment banking fees for the second quarter of 2026. This is 55 percent higher than the same period last year and the highest figure in the bank's history. Bank CEO David Solomon called this situation a "supercycle of capital expenditure for AI." According to him, the demand for funds to build computing infrastructure is rising sharply across all regions and sectors.

Investment scale and infrastructure race

Activity in the financial market is felt not only in equities but also in debt obligations. For example, Goldman Sachs increased its revenue from equity underwriting by 130 percent and from bond issuance by 75 percent. Additionally, the fact that eight major banks participated in providing credit to SoftBank for a $40 billion deal related to OpenAI shows how high the financial enthusiasm in the sector is.

Growth rates at other banks are also staggering: JPMorgan managed to collect $3.3 billion (30 percent growth), Morgan Stanley $2.44 billion (58 percent growth), and Bank of America $2.14 billion (50 percent growth) in commissions. According to Morgan Stanley analysts' forecasts, data center construction costs could reach $850 billion in 2026 and hit $1.5 trillion by 2028.

Bank executives attribute this activity not only to AI companies but to the entire ecosystem surrounding them. This includes:

• Construction of data centers;
• Creation of energy supply and stable electrical grids;
• Production of memory devices and high-performance chips;
• New platforms for cloud computing technologies.

Risks and precautionary measures

However, such rapid growth is also prompting banks to be cautious. While Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser noted that AI has become a central topic in negotiations with clients, it has become known that some projects are being rejected. In particular, JPMorgan has walked away from some deals related to data centers. This was due to electricity shortages and uncertainties regarding who the future tenants of these buildings will be.

Overall, the net profit of the five largest US banks reached $49 billion in the second quarter, which is 39 percent more than last year. Nevertheless, David Solomon warned that the current cycle will not last forever. In his opinion, the market will sooner or later face a "recalibration" phase, after which a period of more stable growth may begin. For now, the main question for banks remains how well the energy system can support the expansion of AI.