Reference Case Number: FOI2026/01239
Freedom of Information: Right to know request:
The total number of major operational incidents reported to us by retail banks since 2018, broken down by the cause of the incidents reported but not broken down by individual banks.
FCA response:
We have provided material operational incidents reported to the FCA under SUP 15.3 and Principle 11. The figures provided do not include incidents that have not been reported directly to the FCA.
The data provided is accurate as of 9 July 2026 as at our latest regular update. The data is provisional as some incidents are awaiting verification. Please note that there is often a delay between the incident occurring, its detection and the firm reporting this to the FCA. This means that some incidents reported in a specified period may refer to incidents that occurred before that period.
We categorise incidents into three overarching domains: Cyber, Technology, and Non-Technology incidents.
- Technology: Includes, but is not limited to, delayed payments, late submissions, customer connectivity failures, change management deficiencies, and database malfunctions.
- Cyber: Encompasses incidents arising from malicious activity, including phishing, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and ransomware.
- Non-Technology: Covers incidents such as power outages attributable to natural disasters or theft.
| Table 1. Incident domains by year for retail banks 2018 – 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Cyber Incidents | Technology Incidents | Non-Technology Incidents | Cause under investigation | Total | Top Drivers of Incidents (Incl. all Cyber, Tech. Non-tech) |
| 2018 | 22 | 411 | 7 | 0 | 440 | Change Management (25.4%) Hardware / Software (23.6%) 3rd Party Failure (23.6%) |
| 2019 | 10 | 362 | 2 | 0 | 374 | Change Management (24.3%) 3rd Party Failure (22.7%) Hardware / Software (23.2%) |
| 2020 | 17 | 266 | 11 | 0 | 294 | Hardware / Software (29.9%) 3rd Party Failure (21.9%) Change Management (15.7%) |
| 2021 | 22 | 305 | 7 | 0 | 334 | Hardware / Software (29.9%) Change Management (19.4%) 3rd Party Failure (15.9%) |
| 2022 | 16 | 333 | 3 | 0 | 352 | Hardware / Software (22.2%) Change Management (19.3%) 3rd Party Failure (17.33%) |
| 2023 | 26 | 421 | 4 | 0 | 451 | Hardware / Software (23.3%) Change Management (18.63%) 3rd Party Failure (15.52%) |
| 2024 | 20 | 382 | 5 | 0 | 407 | 3rd Party Failure (30.0%) Change Management (23.83%) Hardware / Software (15.97%) |
| 2025 | 9 | 422 | 7 | 8 | 446 | Change Management (24.22%) 3rd Party Failure (20.85%) Hardware / Software (14.1%) |
| 20261 | 5 | 156 | 1 | 11 | 173 | Change Management (15.6%) Hardware / Software (14.4%) 3rd Party Failure (12.1%) |
1 As of 9 July 2026.
Note: all figures provisional where incidents are still under investigation.