A process for depositing a conformable nickel coating on a lead frame is disclosed. The metal lead frame substrate is copper, copper alloy, or nickel alloy. The lead frame substrate is coated with a conformable nickel coating that is crack-resistant when the lead frame is bent to an angle of at least about 82 degrees with a bend radius of about 100 .mu.m to about 300 .mu.m. Cracks do not appear through the thickness of the conformable nickel coating of the present invention when the depth of the deformations that result from this bending do not exceed about 5 .mu.m. The conformable nickel coating is formed using an electroplating bath containing nickel as a nickel complex, a nickel salt, a buffer and a fluorochemical wetting agent.