Anthropic will provide its Claude AI models to firms participating in the UK Financial Conduct Authority's second Supercharged Sandbox cohort, the regulator announced Wednesday. The partnership expands efforts to help financial companies test artificial intelligence applications in a controlled regulatory environment. The second cohort includes 21 organizations such as Scottish Widows, Money Advice Trust and TrueLayer, with participants receiving access to Claude, Claude Code and Claude Cowork for developing applications in agent-led payments, fraud detection, compliance automation and AI governance. The FCA's sandbox program reflects growing regulatory focus on providing structured frameworks for AI experimentation in financial services.
FCA Second Cohort Includes 21 Financial Organizations
The second Supercharged Sandbox cohort comprises 21 organizations that will use Anthropic's Claude AI models for financial service applications. Participants include Scottish Widows, Money Advice Trust and TrueLayer. The cohort members will develop applications spanning agent-led payments, fraud detection systems, compliance automation and AI governance frameworks. Anthropic will provide access to Claude, Claude Code and Claude Cowork as development tools for these use cases.
Application Volume Increases 51% From First Round
The FCA received 199 applications for the second cohort, representing a 51% increase from the first round. The regulator announced the application statistics Wednesday. The application growth reflects expanding demand for regulated environments where financial firms can experiment with AI systems under regulatory supervision.
FCA Partnerships Provide Computing Infrastructure and Development Tools
The Supercharged Sandbox program operates through partnerships with NVIDIA, NayaOne and Anthropic. NVIDIA and NayaOne provide participants with computing infrastructure and development tools. Anthropic's addition to the partnership ecosystem supplies AI models for application development. The program targets firms in the discovery and experimentation phase of AI development, while the FCA's separate AI Live Testing program supports firms ready to deploy AI in live markets.
FCA Launches 10-Week Agentic Academy for AI Development
The FCA launched a 10-week Agentic Academy in partnership with the Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship. The academy will help firms develop and deploy AI agents in financial services. The educational initiative runs alongside the second Supercharged Sandbox cohort to support participants' AI development capabilities.
FAQ
What is the UK FCA's Supercharged Sandbox second cohort?
The second cohort is a regulatory program where 21 financial organizations including Scottish Widows, Money Advice Trust and TrueLayer will test AI applications using Anthropic's Claude AI models. Participants will develop applications for agent-led payments, fraud detection, compliance automation and AI governance in a controlled environment. The FCA received 199 applications for this cohort, a 51% increase from the first round.
How does the FCA support AI development in financial services?
The FCA operates the Supercharged Sandbox for firms in the discovery and experimentation phase, providing access to AI models through Anthropic and computing infrastructure through partnerships with NVIDIA and NayaOne. The regulator launched a 10-week Agentic Academy with the Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship to help firms develop AI agents. A separate AI Live Testing program supports firms ready to deploy AI in live markets.
