Starling Bank debuts AI-powered spending insights

British fintech Starling Bank has launched a new AI feature that gives users insights into their spending habits, including exactly how much they’ve spent on fast food.

Starling's new feature, called "Enhanced Search," is an opt-in tool that allows customers to ask natural-language questions about their money and spending - like “How much did I spend on at McDonald's last month?”.

The tool is powered by Google’s Gemini AI system, which contextualises spending by retailer and category, and presents results with intuitive visualisations and graphs.

The system recognizes more than 50 transaction types, from groceries to transportation, allowing users to gain a granular understanding of their financial behaviors.

It also provides smart prompts based on previous habits, nudging users to make more informed choices.

Starling’s CIO Harriet Rees described the feature as “a way for everyone to feel more in control of their money.”

The bank, which has grown to date to serve 4.6 million customers, is among a number of UK focused fintech 'challenger' banks which focus on digital, mobile-first banking - others include Monzo and Revolut.