FCA Supercharged Sandbox Partners with Anthropic to Accelerate AI Innovation

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is expanding its support for responsible artificial intelligence innovation through the second group of firms participating in its Supercharged Sandbox, with Anthropic joining the programme to provide advanced AI technology to participants.

The Supercharged Sandbox gives financial services firms a controlled environment where they can safely experiment with advanced AI technologies, test new solutions, and explore how artificial intelligence can be used responsibly across the financial sector.

Anthropic to Provide Claude AI to Participants

As part of the new group, Anthropic will provide participating firms with access to its Claude AI platform, including Claude Code and Claude Cowork.

The technology is intended to help firms accelerate development, experiment with new AI-powered solutions, and explore practical applications of artificial intelligence within financial services.

AI Use Cases Across Financial Services

The second group of Supercharged Sandbox participants will explore a wide range of AI applications designed to address some of the industry’s most important challenges.

These projects will include solutions designed to:

• Enable safer agent-led payments and commerce.
• Improve the detection and prevention of fraud and economic crime.
• Strengthen AI governance, oversight, and accountability.
• Expand access to financial services for vulnerable and underserved consumers.
• Streamline regulatory compliance and business automation.

21 Organisations Join the Second Group

A total of 21 organisations have been selected to participate in the second group, including Scottish Widows, Money Advice Trust, and TrueLayer.

Interest in the programme has grown significantly, with the FCA reporting a 51% increase in applications compared with the first group. The strong demand highlights the growing interest among financial services firms in developing and implementing AI in a safe and responsible way.

Building on Existing AI Innovation Support

The Supercharged Sandbox builds on existing support provided by NayaOne and NVIDIA, bringing together technology, expertise, and a controlled testing environment to help firms explore AI applications while managing potential risks.

The FCA believes that creating a safe environment for experimentation can help businesses make better use of emerging technologies without compromising consumer protection, regulatory standards, or market integrity.

Supporting Responsible AI Adoption

Jessica Rusu, Chief Data, Intelligence and Information Officer at the FCA, highlighted the strong demand for trusted environments where financial services firms can experiment with AI safely and responsibly.

The FCA sees the Supercharged Sandbox as an important part of its wider strategy to support innovation and economic growth while helping maintain the UK’s position as a global leader in responsible AI adoption.

FCA Launches New Agentic AI Programme

Alongside the Supercharged Sandbox, the FCA has also launched the Agentic Academy, a specialist 10-week programme focused on artificial intelligence and agentic AI.

The programme is being delivered jointly by the FCA and the Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE) and is available to selected firms.

The initiative is designed to provide participating organisations with additional expertise and practical support as they explore the opportunities and challenges presented by increasingly autonomous AI systems.

What This Means for the Future of Financial Services

The expansion of the Supercharged Sandbox reflects the growing importance of AI across the financial services industry. From fraud detection and compliance to payments and financial inclusion, artificial intelligence has the potential to transform how financial firms operate and serve customers.

By combining access to advanced AI technology with regulatory guidance and controlled experimentation, the FCA aims to help firms innovate while maintaining strong standards for consumer protection, accountability, and responsible technology adoption.