Starling Bank has launched an agentic AI-powered assistant for its business customers, a free in-app tool designed to reduce administrative burden and improve productivity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The launch follows Starling becoming the first UK bank to introduce an agentic AI financial assistant for personal accounts back in March 2026, with the business-focused version now rolling out to all business customers.
Rather than simply answering questions, the tool can carry out complex banking instructions on a customer’s behalf, positioning itself as an active partner in day-to-day financial management rather than a passive chatbot.
Among its core functions, the assistant can set aside funds for tax obligations when instructed, calculating the relevant figure from a business’s transaction history and moving it into a dedicated savings Space.
It is also designed to help business owners spot invoice fraud, reviewing supplier payment details and warning customers to verify directly with a supplier if information such as bank details appears to have changed.
The assistant additionally supports sole traders and landlords in understanding their obligations under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, asking users about their income and advising when they are likely to fall under the mandate, while directing them to the relevant HMRC guidance and sign-up steps.
A further feature, a receipt tracker, is planned for later this year, which will let business owners query their spending on specific jobs by cross-referencing receipt data with transaction records to produce instant spending summaries.
Looking ahead, Starling intends to integrate the assistant fully with its Accounting software later this year, enabling business owners to create and send invoices to customers through simple instructions to the tool. The bank has said it plans to add a new capability to the assistant every week for the remainder of the year, and customers will soon be able to request new features directly within the assistant itself, in addition to the existing option to do so via the app’s Help section.
Starling Group Chief Information Officer Harriet Rees said, “We know that managing finances can be a major drain on time for small businesses.
“Starling Assistant changes this by automating routine tasks and taking the guesswork out of money management. We’re committed to boosting SME productivity, as Starling’s own research shows that if more small businesses adopted digital financial tools their growth could add £25.3bn to the UK economy.”
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