Anthropic's Claude gets a Personal Finance tool that reads bank and card accounts

Anthropic has launched a Personal Finance feature for its Claude chatbot that connects to users' bank and card accounts. The tool links to those accounts through Plaid, a bank connection platform, and lets users ask questions about their money.

A user can type a question such as "where did my money go this month?" Claude then produces an overview that splits spending into categories, including rent and utilities, shopping and food. The tool can also answer questions about what bills are due before the next payday. It can show whether a user can afford a big purchase, such as a holiday trip, and estimate how much could be saved each month.

Access to the accounts is read-only, meaning Claude can view transactions but cannot move money or make payments. Plaid handles the connection between the bank or card provider and Claude. It is not yet known how many users have access so far or whether the feature is available outside the United States.

The launch puts Anthropic in the market for personal money management, a space already served by budgeting apps. It also gives Claude access to sensitive financial data, and how the privacy of that data will be handled in detail has not been addressed.

It is not yet known whether Indian banks or cards are covered by the feature, since it depends on bank connections that Plaid supports. Anyone considering linking an account should check the terms and privacy settings Anthropic publishes before doing so.

It is not yet clear how Anthropic will price the feature or whether it will expand to more countries and banks.