Starling Bank Launches AI-Powered ‘Spending Intelligence’ for Real-Time Expense Insights

Starling Bank has become the first UK bank to offer customers a generative AI tool that delivers personalized insights into their spending habits. The new feature, called Spending Intelligence, is powered by Google’s Gemini Large Language Model and is now live for all users via the Starling app.

Customers can type or verbally ask questions through a built-in search bar to receive instant, AI-driven breakdowns of their financial activity. For example, users can ask, “What did I spend on groceries last week?” or “How much did I donate to charity last year?” and receive accurate, real-time responses.

This rollout marks Starling’s initial step toward broader AI integration across its banking platform. Declan Ferguson, Starling’s Chief Financial Officer, emphasized the bank’s ambition to lead in AI-driven banking tools and confirmed plans to hire 400 software engineers in 2025 to further accelerate development.

Starling’s move represents a growing trend of embedding intelligent automation into personal finance—putting powerful data insight tools directly into the hands of users.