Claude AI can now connect to personal bank accounts

Anthropic has introduced a new Personal Finance feature for its Claude chatbot, allowing users to connect their bank and card accounts using the Plaid bridging platform. This tool enables the AI to process inquiries such as monthly spending breakdowns across categories like shopping, utilities, rent, and food.

According to the company, the chatbot can also assist with broader financial queries, including calculating potential monthly savings, checking remaining bills before payday, and assessing the affordability of major expenditures like holidays. The feature currently provides access to account names, balances, credit limits, bank names, the final four digits of account numbers, and up to two years of transaction history.

Anthropic stated that the system is read-only and does not handle password storage, as Plaid manages the connection securely. The company clarified that Claude "isn’t designed to give investment advice" and cannot perform tasks such as moving funds or managing investments.

The beta version of the feature is launching this week for users subscribed to Claude Pro, Max, and Ultra plans in the US. This development follows a similar integration introduced by OpenAI for ChatGPT in May, which also utilises Plaid.

Regarding the future of the tool, Anthropic noted in a press release that "Personal Finance is a first step." The organisation added: "For life’s bigger money decisions, we think people are best served by Claude working alongside the licensed professionals and regulated firms they trust. We’re exploring how to make that possible in Claude, and we’d like to hear from banks, wealth managers, and financial services companies who want to help shape it."