London, UK – 17th November 2025 – British investment banks lost an estimated £2.4 million in the past 12 months as a result of IT outages, according to new research from GFT. With the average outage lasting more than an hour and costing upwards of £600,000, the impact of downtime continues to present significant operational and reputational risks.
Over the past 12 months, investment banks reported experiencing an average of four major customer-facing IT outages.
The main drivers of these disruptions, according to IT decision makers surveyed, were network issues (55%) and human error (42%), while more than a quarter of IT decision makers (27%) attributed the outages to outdated or legacy systems.
63% of IT decision makers at investment banks cited increased customer complaints as the leading outcome of outages while 52% reported financial penalties.
Krista Griggs, Global Account Director, Capital Markets at GFT, said: “As scrutiny from regulators, counterparties and clients intensifies, investment banks face growing pressure to minimise disruption and safeguard business continuity. This research underscores the need to invest in modern IT infrastructure, build internal skills and processes, and work with trusted partners to reduce risk and recover quickly from outages. By modernising legacy systems and embedding advanced resilience strategies, firms can protect market confidence and remain competitive in an increasingly digital capital markets landscape.”
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