Case study: Citi

The digital fortress: How Citi is engineering the future from Austin

As we head into early 2026, the intersection of high finance and high tech has found a permanent home in Austin’s “Silicon Hills.” While many global institutions are still untangling the realities of post-pandemic work, Citi has taken a different approach.

It has doubled down on a tech-first identity, using its growing Austin presence as a proving ground for the next era of banking.

This isn’t a satellite office or a talent outpost. It’s a core part of how Citi is re-engineering itself for the future.

Background: Austin’s tech landscape in 2026

Austin has evolved from a startup-friendly city into a global hub for mission-critical technology. The early hype of the 2020 migration has cooled, but what replaced it is far more durable: deep infrastructure, applied AI, and long-term industrial investment.

A growing AI infrastructure hub

Austin has become a top-tier market for AI infrastructure, supported by major investments from NVIDIA and reinforced by the proximity of Tesla’s Gigafactory in Texas.

A dense, applied talent pool

With more than 7,000 AI specialists across the metro area, Austin now rivals Silicon Valley in talent density, with a stronger emphasis on applied, production-grade systems. That focus makes it an ideal base for Citi’s engineering teams.

The last six months: From experimentation to execution

The second half of 2025 and the opening weeks of 2026 marked a turning point. Citi moved decisively from experimentation into enterprise-scale execution.

• The shift to agentic AI

Citi Ventures has positioned 2026 as a “Year of Transformation,” moving beyond basic chat interfaces toward agentic AI systems capable of handling multi-step, real-world tasks. Examples include real-time fraud mitigation and autonomous code reviews.

• Reducing legacy drag

Citi completed the transfer of its North American corporate loans onto a new strategic processing platform, significantly reducing technical debt tied to legacy systems.

• Modernizing regulatory controls

By automating more than 3.5 million daily payments across 90 countries using AI-driven controls, Citi strengthened its “safety and soundness” posture. That work contributed to the lifting of major regulatory consent orders in early 2026.

• A lean, AI-native global strategy

Citi’s 2026 operating model is built around a “follow-the-sun” approach. Engineering teams are distributed across hubs such as Austin, London, and Singapore, enabling continuous development and support.

As part of a multi-year restructuring, Citi plans to eliminate approximately 20,000 roles by the end of 2026. Manual, legacy processes are being replaced with AI-native workflows.

This isn’t just about cost reduction. It’s a deliberate shift toward a leaner operating model, expected to save US$2–2.5 billion annually while increasing speed and resilience.

The technical advantage: Google Cloud and Vertex AI

Citi’s technical edge is rooted in its hybrid-cloud architecture and its long-standing partnership with Google Cloud.

High-performance computing at scale

Advanced HPC infrastructure enables millions of daily computations across Citi’s Markets business, supporting near-instantaneous risk assessment.

Vertex AI adoption

By deploying Google’s Vertex AI, Citi has equipped more than 180,000 employees with generative AI tools. These systems have already supported over 1.5 million automated code reviews, freeing roughly 100,000 hours of engineering capacity each week.

Leadership in financial tokenization

Citi is also pushing forward on the tokenization of finance, working toward T+1 and eventually T+0 settlement cycles using distributed ledger technology.

So, what’s next for Citi in 2026 and beyond?

The roadmap ahead focuses on bringing financial assets fully into the digital era.

• Institutional crypto custody

Citi is preparing to launch institutional-grade crypto custody services, bridging traditional finance and digital assets.

• Quantum computing pilots

Austin-based pilots are exploring quantum computing for portfolio optimization and complex derivative pricing.

• Know your agent (KYA)

As AI agents become more autonomous, Citi is developing “Know Your Agent” frameworks to ensure AI-to-AI interactions remain secure, transparent, and compliant.

Don’t miss Citi at Generative AI Summit Austin

Don’t miss Citi’s session at Generative AI Summit Austin on February 25.

Pratik Gautam, VP and Lead AI Product Manager, will share how enterprise teams are embedding responsible AI frameworks directly into core system architecture.

From structured evaluation pipelines to automated policy enforcement and human-in-the-loop overrides, the session explores how Citi’s AI teams are ensuring accountability runs on code, not committees.

Key takeaways include:

• Translating responsible AI principles into repeatable system design patterns
• Embedding governance, bias testing, and traceability into CI/CD pipelines
• Using real-time monitoring to maintain ethical and regulatory alignment