PRESS RELEASE
Starling to release weekly ‘smart tools’ that supercharge money management for millions of Brits
20th August 2026
Suite of AI-powered smart tools available today, with new tools to land in Starling’s agentic AI assistant every week
Bank crowdsources innovation; customers can request Smart tools for Starling’s AI team to build
Customers will be able to create their own Smart tools
20 August 2026: Starling has launched ‘Smart tools’, a set of AI tools that can help the bank’s customers better manage their money. New smart tools will launch every week from today*, with the bank’s first set able to create personalised savings plans, share scam guidance, automate VAT savings and equip businesses for Making Tax Digital.
The smart tools sit within Starling Assistant, the UK’s first agentic AI financial assistant, which can perform banking tasks on a customer’s behalf. The assistant, which responds to natural language and voice prompts, opens up a new conversational interface through which customers can carry out their day to day banking, whether it’s setting up transfers, creating Spaces or analysing their spending patterns.
The weekly cadence of smart tool drops will cover all manner of money management tasks, and will see Starling Assistant’s capabilities develop exponentially over time.
“AI has become second nature to many of our customers, who engage with Starling Assistant daily and have mastered the assistant to suit their financial needs. But some customers are still curious, and are navigating just how much AI can do for them,” said Harriet Rees, Group CIO at Starling. “Our smart tools take the guesswork out of what AI can do; they perform specific tasks and have specific pre-programmed prompts that customers can use with a simple tap.”
Starling Assistant’s smart tools available at launch include:
Tax saver helps SME customers save for their tax bill, working with the customer to identify transactions they need to save for their taxes, and automatically sweeping a percentage of them into a Space.
Making Tax Digital guide helps SME customers assess if they’re subject to the scheme, lets them know how to register and what to expect once they’re set up.
Spending quiz tests customers on their spending habits across different merchants and categories, to see if they really understand where their money is going.
Student budget planner talks university students through their various income streams, from maintenance loans to paid work, as well as their student living expenditure, to determine how best to budget.
The following smart tools will follow in August:
Rainy day saver automatically analyses customers’ income, direct debits and spending patterns and works with the customer to determine how much they can realistically save, before setting up transfers into a dedicated savings Space.
Fraud controls help customers turn on the right protection controls for their needs, like Starling’s Snatch-theft detector, Call Status Indicator or Scam Intelligence tools.
Crowdsourced AI Innovation
Starling is encouraging its five million retail and SME customers to submit their own ideas for smart tools for Starling Assistant to make sure the assistant is solving real-world customer problems across the country.** These crowdsourced ideas will complement the existing research and user testing programme run by Starling’s AI team. Tools available at launch were all requested by customers across the UK.
In the future, Starling customers will be able to create their own AI smart tools so they can have an experience of the Starling Assistant that is truly unique and personal to them.
“The money management tools Starling created ten years ago are no longer the preserve of neobanks - but AI is, and we’re paving the way for how it can be applied in ways that are genuinely useful,” Harriet continued. “By crowdsourcing ideas, fostering external experimentation, and releasing new capabilities at pace, the true potential of AI-driven banking will be fully realised across the UK.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
*Every week for the remainder of 2026, and at least monthly thereafter
** Feature requests can be submitted directly within the ‘Help’ section of the Starling app. In the coming weeks, smart tool requests will be possible directly within the assistant.
About Starling
Starling is an award-winning, fully-licensed and regulated bank with a mission to help customers be good with money by taking active control of their finances. It offers personal, business, joint and student current accounts alongside a children’s card.
Contact details:
Grace Wilson
07506 402 635