Dive Brief:

• Fidelity National Information Services, which provides payments and technology services to financial institutions, is counting on clients continuing to increase their technology spending and tapping FIS to meet their demand for artificial intelligence capabilities, CEO Stephanie Ferris said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings report Tuesday. Financial institutions’ annual IT spending across the market, as a percent of revenue, climbed 11% between 2015 and 2024, the company said in its quarterly presentation.
• The Jacksonville, Florida company is angling to satisfy banks’ appetite for artificial intelligence, tapping its extensive trove of data, regulatory experience and scale to pitch to its financial institution clients.
• “Emerging technology, particularly AI, is moving from experimental to mainstream at unprecedented speed,” Ferris said. “AI adoption is accelerating to eight times 2023 levels and banks recognize AI isn't a future opportunity, it's a competitive imperative.”

Dive Insight:

FIS reported that its fourth-quarter revenue grew about 7% to $2.75 billion over the year-earlier period, after adjusting for its sale of the Worldpay merchant acquiring unit and the purchase of an issuer services business, according to an earnings press release. 

When asked by an analyst about AI replacing or automating some of the services that FIS provides, Ferris downplayed any risks, pointing to AI as a positive for the business. She called it a “strategic accelerant,” pointing to the company’s expansive proprietary data set and its use of audited, regulated processes as difficult-to-replicate advantages.

FIS focuses on financial institutions growing the fastest in the market, with many becoming super regional banks, and those that are tapping technology, such as AI, to drive growth. 

“Unlike some peers, our focus isn't about serving the most banks,” Ferris said. “Our strategy is partnering with banks that are growing faster in the market, both organically and through consolidation,” Ferris said. “Our strategy is to grow side by side with them in areas where they're spending: payments, digital and lending,” she said.

Meanwhile, the company has cut costs in some areas alongside its sale of Worldpay and purchase of the issuer business, both with Global Payments on the other side of the transaction. 

“We took a series of cost actions in 2025 and exiting the year that drives sizable savings in 2026,” FIS Chief Financial Officer James Kehoe told analysts on the Tuesday webcast.

Headcount decreased significantly last year, dropping about 12% percent as of the end of last year to 44,000 employees, down from 50,000 at the end of 2024, according to the company’s annual reports.