Federal Reserve Spring 2026 survey highlights geopolitical risks, AI concerns as top threats to financial stability

The Federal Reserve’s Spring 2026 Financial Stability Report has reshuffled its risk hierarchy, and the new order tells a story. Geopolitical risks now sit at the top of the list, climbing from second place in the Fall 2025 survey to the most cited threat to US financial stability.

The promotion wasn’t exactly a surprise. A US-Israel operation on February 28, 2026, that resulted in the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader triggered ongoing hostilities across the Middle East, turning what had been a simmering concern into a full-blown regional crisis threatening energy infrastructure and supply chains.

The geopolitical picture

The Middle East escalation following the February 2026 operation has been classified as a high-impact regional war. That’s not just diplomatic jargon. It’s a direct acknowledgment that the conflict poses material risks to global energy infrastructure, the kind of disruption that ripples through every asset class and every portfolio.

Oil shocks ranked among the other notable risks in the survey.

AI: from productivity tool to systemic risk

The Fed’s survey positioned artificial intelligence alongside geopolitical risk and inflation as a defining challenge for financial stability. The CFA Institute has classified AI-driven threats as persistent vulnerabilities, with particular emphasis on increasing cyber risks.

BlackRock has echoed these concerns, emphasizing the growing dangers posed by AI in cybersecurity and economic inequality.

Nobel laureate Simon Johnson has warned about what he calls the threat to “jobs with dignity,” arguing that AI fundamentally reshapes which kinds of labor have economic value. The Fed’s own Beige Book confirmed AI-driven efficiency improvements across multiple sectors, while noting implications for employment dynamics.

Former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair has advocated for tax reforms to counteract what she sees as AI-driven imbalances in capital allocation, arguing that current tax structures inadvertently favor capital investment in automation over human labor.

Private credit and bank lending: the quieter risks

The Fed’s survey also flagged private credit redemptions and bank lending growth as areas worth watching. Private credit has ballooned to $1.7 trillion in assets under management. The Fed’s indication is that redemption risks remain manageable at current levels.

The Fed included inflation among its notable risks in the survey, creating a tension between lending growth and the inflation pressures that threaten stability.