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A survey of 2,000 UK adults commissioned by FIS found that 22% are ready to hand day-to-day money management to an AI assistant, while 58% are not. Respondents were more comfortable with specific, limited tasks, such as flagging suspicious charges, than with transfers, account opening or credit applications.
Only 22% of UK adults say they are ready to let an AI assistant manage their day-to-day money, while 58% are not, according to a FIS survey of 2,000 adults reported by Finextra. The results point to a divide between using AI for financial assistance and authorising it to make or carry out decisions on a customer’s behalf.
AI tools are already being used for money-related tasks. The survey found that 58% of respondents had used general generative AI tools, including ChatGPT or Claude, in the previous 12 months for purposes such as budgeting, asking about an account or choosing a financial product. Nearly two-thirds said they expected to use such tools for financial help in the coming 12 months. Separately, 56% had used an AI assistant in a banking app for something connected to their money during the previous year.
Respondents’ comfort varied according to what an assistant would do. More than half were comfortable with AI flagging or freezing a suspicious charge (56%), paying a recurring bill they had previously approved (52%), or rounding up purchases into savings (51%). Comfort was lower for sending money to another person or business (38%), opening a new savings or deposit account (35%), and applying for a loan or credit card (30%).
The answers also suggest many people want control over transactions. More than half would not allow an AI assistant in their banking app to spend or move money without their approval. Among respondents who would grant some authority, 35% would set a limit of £250 or less; just 5% would permit spending above £500 or set no limit, according to the survey.
Trust Depends on the Task
The findings matter for banks considering how much authority to give AI features. The survey suggests that customers may accept assistance with defined, reversible or previously authorised actions while remaining reluctant to delegate broader control over their finances. That distinction could shape how financial institutions introduce automated services and explain the permissions attached to them.
The gap between reported AI use and readiness to hand over money management also cautions against treating adoption of chatbots as evidence of trust in autonomous financial decisions. Asking a tool for budgeting ideas is different from allowing it to move funds, open accounts or apply for credit. Those actions can carry direct financial consequences, and the survey indicates that willingness falls as the task becomes more consequential.
Spending limits and approval prompts are another practical issue raised by the results. The responses show that many participants want a chance to approve transactions, while those open to delegation often favour a relatively low cap. For banks, customer controls and clear explanations of responsibility may affect whether people are willing to use more active AI services. The survey records attitudes, however, and does not establish how users would behave after trying those services.
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From AI Help to Agentic Banking
The survey distinguishes familiar forms of AI assistance from what it describes as agentic banking: AI carrying out banking tasks on a customer’s behalf. Half of UK adults surveyed had never heard of the term. That lack of awareness may matter when banks discuss products that do more than answer questions or offer suggestions, although the survey does not establish why respondents were unfamiliar with the concept.
Readiness to delegate also differed by age group. Millennials were most willing to hand over day-to-day money management, at 33%, followed by Gen Z at 27%. The figures were 15% for Gen X, 8% for adults aged 62 to 69, and 3% for those aged 70 and older. The source also reports that younger UK adults were less likely to say they were ready than their US counterparts: 61% of US millennials and 58% of US Gen Z respondents said they were ready. It does not provide further detail here on how the two national samples were conducted or compared.
The results were reported by Finextra from a survey commissioned by FIS, a financial technology company. They describe the views of 2,000 UK adults; they are not a record of actual banking transactions or a measure of how many people currently use fully autonomous banking services.
Limits of the Survey Findings
The source material does not give the fieldwork dates, survey methodology, sampling margins or full wording of the questions. It is therefore not possible from the reported figures alone to assess the survey’s statistical uncertainty or how respondents interpreted “ready” to let AI manage their money.
The results measure stated views, not future uptake. They do not show whether people who say they are willing would use an agentic banking product once it is available, or whether those who are reluctant might change their minds after seeing how it works. The report also does not identify specific banking products, providers or safeguards tested in the survey. No launch or rollout plan for a particular service is included.
Banks Face a Trust Test
The survey does not announce a product launch or set out a timetable for new services. Its findings leave banks with a clear issue to address if they develop AI that can act on customers’ behalf: how to let customers define permitted tasks, set transaction limits and retain approval over sensitive actions.
For now, the reported responses suggest that smaller, clearly bounded uses may be more acceptable than broad delegation. Further evidence would be needed to show whether that preference translates into real-world use, and how customers respond to safeguards and explanations of accountability. The source provides no scheduled follow-up survey or next milestone.
Key Questions
How many UK adults are ready to let AI manage their money?
In the FIS survey of 2,000 UK adults, 22% said they were ready to hand day-to-day money management to an AI assistant, while 58% said they were not.
Are people already using AI for financial help?
Yes. The survey found that 58% had used general generative AI for a money-related task in the previous 12 months, and 56% had used an AI assistant in a banking app for something connected to their money.
Which financial tasks were respondents most comfortable delegating?
Respondents were most comfortable with an assistant flagging or freezing a suspicious charge (56%), paying a recurring bill they had previously approved (52%), and rounding up purchases into savings (51%).
How much money would respondents let an AI assistant move?
More than half would not let an AI assistant in their banking app spend or move money without approval. Among those who would allow it, 35% would cap the amount at £250 or less, while 5% would allow more than £500 or set no limit.
What does the survey mean by agentic banking?
The report uses the term for AI carrying out banking tasks on a customer’s behalf, rather than only answering questions or offering help. Half of the adults surveyed had not heard of the term.
Source: finextra.com
