AI is changing how people bank, save, borrow and ask for help. It could make finance faster, cheaper – and even more personal. But if customers cannot understand decisions, challenge mistakes or reach a human when things go wrong, “smart” finance may simply become a more efficient way to frustrate people.

In the UK, a review by the Financial Conduct Authority pointed out that AI is not new to financial services. Banks have used it for years behind the scenes in algorithmic trading, underwriting, credit decisions and fraud detection. What has changed is visibility. Publicly available generative AI tools have brought AI into everyday consumer life, with millions of people now using them to navigate financial decisions.

The UK has an important advantage here. The government and regulators have committed to keeping the country at the forefront of open banking – a position that gives it a head start in digital finance and AI-driven services.

The UK was one of the pioneers in building open banking – where customers can share their bank account data with authorised providers, instead of leaving that data locked inside one bank. Research from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance describes the UK’s approach as regulation-driven, helping to standardise how banks share customer-permissioned data.

AI has long been discussed as a threat to jobs and livelihoods. But what’s the reality? In this series, we explore the impact it is already having on different occupations – and how people really feel about their AI assistants.

A 2025 consumer report highlighted that almost one in three UK adults uses AI on a weekly basis to manage their money. Starling Bank’s Spending Intelligence uses AI to find key words to help customers understand their spending habits. Lloyds Banking Group has reported rising use of AI tools for managing money. And NatWest says the generative AI version of its Cora+ assistant improved customer satisfaction, while reducing the need for a staff member to step in.

These examples matter because one of the biggest problems in retail finance is not simply lack of products, but lack of customer capacity to process complex choices. One of us (David) explained why many customers do not actively switch or search for better financial products – they often have limited time, attention and expertise. They may also find switching costly or inconvenient, compare only a small number of factors, and remain with poor-value options because alternatives feel too complex.

AI could help by translating jargon, comparing prices, flagging risks and making it easier to switch – or to ask the right questions.

But this is only half the story. The same benefits can quickly become risks when AI or automated banking systems make decisions without clear explanations. A 2024 survey by the Bank of England and FCA found that 46% of financial firms had only a “partial understanding” of the AI technologies they use. If banks themselves only partly understand these systems, customers are even less likely to know why a payment has been blocked, why an account application has been rejected or why a chatbot refuses to help.

In 2024, it emerged that Starling blocked a legitimate €15,000 (£13,000) transfer by a customer after suspecting it might be an AI-enabled scam. The bank then froze the customer’s account when he resisted handing over private correspondence and other evidence. Starling later accepted it had gone too far and apologised.

In January 2025, Virgin Money apologised after its chatbot appeared to take exception to the word “virgin” in a question about ISAs. When AI is clumsy, customers do not experience it as innovation. They experience it as bad service.

That is why the real test is accountability. An answer that arrives faster but is biased, opaque or impossible to challenge is not better service. This is also where the regulatory challenge begins.

The UK has chosen not to introduce AI-specific regulation for financial services. Instead, the FCA says its approach to AI is grounded in its principles-based and outcomes-focused regulatory framework, including the Consumer Duty and Senior Management Regime.

This means firms remain responsible for AI-related consumer harm. As such, senior managers are accountable where they fail to take reasonable steps to oversee AI risks within their area of responsibility.

This approach has clear strengths. It is flexible, it supports innovation and it avoids locking the sector into rigid rules too early. But it also leaves room for uncertainty. The more the system depends on broad principles rather than detailed rules, the more it relies on interpretation, supervisory judgement and firms doing the right thing in practice.

So will AI make UK financial services better for customers? Only if speed comes with fairness, clarity and accountability. When things go wrong, customers should not be trapped in an automated loop. They need a clear explanation, access to the right human team and a fair way to put things right.

The UK’s open banking system gives AI a strong foundation because these tools work better when they can use reliable, well-organised data to help people understand spending, compare options and manage money. Used well, AI could become a genuine public good. But if it delivers instant decisions without explanation, automated responses without human support, or efficiency without accountability, it will not make finance better. It will simply make poor service faster.

“What is beyond dispute is that violence of this nature has no place in North Belfast”

A man remains in a critical condition after he was injured in a violent attack in North Belfast.

The PSNI said officers were called to Kinnaird Avenue around 10.30pm on Monday and the injured man was taken to hospital. Another man was arrested in connection with the incident and taken into custody, police confirmed.

Video footage shared online shows a man stabbing another man to the head before members of the public intervened. Officers are expected to remain in the area as enquiries continue.

Councillor Paul McCusker described the scenes as “horrific” and said “the bravery of those residents was commendable”.

“Horrific scenes on the streets of North Belfast tonight, terrifying for anyone to witness or watch this on social media,” he said.

“I have spoken to the police and the male who carried out the attack has been arrested and the victim is critical in hospital. I really hope he survives this attack and his family are getting support.

“The bravery of those residents was commendable. I will be liaising with police to get further update and if I can be of assistance to those who witnessed tonight please get in contact.”

Local DUP councillor Jordan Doran said he was “left shocked and deeply concerned” by footage circulating online following the stabbing.

“Many residents have contacted me expressing concerns about community safety and seeking reassurance following this incident,” he said.

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“Those concerns are entirely understandable. People deserve to feel safe in their homes and communities, regardless of where they live.”

He continued: “What is beyond dispute is that violence of this nature has no place in North Belfast. I will be engaging with the PSNI and relevant agencies as a matter of urgency to ensure residents receive the information and reassurance they deserve.”

DUP councillor Nicola Verner added: “Like many people, I have wakened this morning to the video circulating and news of a man viciously attacked last night.

“I am horrified and deeply concerned by the incident in the Girdwood area and the scenes circulating have understandably caused fear and anxiety within our local communities. Violence of this nature has no place on our streets. Residents deserve to feel safe in their homes and neighbourhoods.

“There is a clear need for swift action and a to provide reassurance to the community and ensure residents are listened to and feel protected from attacks of this kind.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Donald Trump was loudly booed during the US national anthem at Madison Square Garden last night.

Chants of ‘U-S-A! U-S-A!’ gave way to deafening jeers when the president was shown on the jumbo screens ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.

 Trump was seen smiling while holding a salute amid the booing throughout the packed area.

Speaking to reporters as he prepared to depart from JFK airport in New York, he said: It was, I think, mostly cheers. It was loud, and it was very enthusiastic.’

The Spurs beat the Knicks 115-111 to cut New York’s series lead to 2-1.

It was the latest major sporting event Trump has attended during his time as president, and the security measures created major headaches for fans.

Some spent up to four hours queuing outside before the game.

Errol Ismail, a Brooklyn resident and owner of a fitness company, said: ‘I wish he wasn’t here. He’s not a real fan, and he’s just making things awful.

‘We’ve waited a lifetime for this, and he’s made it about himself, like everything else.’

During the afternoon before Trump’s arrival, the New York Police Department and the US Secret Service set up a large perimeter surrounding Madison Square Garden. 

Fans were required to provide a ticket or pass to get past various checkpoints, along with going through a Transportation Security Administration-style magnetometer.

Secret Service staff and police were positioned at every corner and in large numbers.

Daily commuters, tourists visiting Manhattan and fans were all bewildered at various times as they tried to navigate the large-scale security operation.

Federal law enforcement officials have been re-examining Trump’s security in light of three apparent assassination attempts in the past two years.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other dignitaries were also at the game, as were Yankees Hall of Famer Derek Jeter and two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli Manning of the Giants.

It was already hard enough for Knicks fans to get inside Madison Square Garden because of astronomical ticket prices. 

The get-in price for a ticket is higher than the average cost of monthly rent in New York, surging over $5,000.

The best seats were listed for tens of thousands of dollars. Mamdani said he bought his ticket, which he said was standing-room-only, for about $1,000 directly from Madison Square Garden.

Queens-born Trump has a difficult relationship with the heavily Democratic-voting city he once called home and was a vocal critic of activism within the NBA, accusing the league of becoming a ‘political organisation’ as many players protested racial injustice in the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

He faced cheers and boos when he attended the US Open tennis men’s final in Flushing, Queens, last year.

Many ticket-holders missed the start of the match when security checks related to his attendance caused confusion and slowed entry. 

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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If the proposals progress and are approved, a Cambridgeshire village would see approximately 400 homes built alongside a local centre and a rural travel hub

Around 400 homes, a local centre, and a travel hub could be built in a Cambridgeshire village if plans are progressed. An application has requested an environmental impact assessment to for the potential development of land at Crows Nest Farm in Papworth Everard.

The application was made to South Cambridgeshire District Council on behalf of Mac Mic Strategic Land Limited, Christine Elizabeth Peck, and Sarah Lemond.

Papworth Everard lies 10 miles west of Cambridge and six miles south of Huntingdon. Although the proposed scheme is subject to change, the application proposes approximately 400 residential homes, a local centre, and a rural travel hub, as well as highways and drainage infrastructure.

An outline planning application will be sought but the scheme is currently progressing through pre-application discussions with Greater Cambridge Shared Planning. The Screening Opinion request seeks to assist the council in assessing the proposals for the site to determine whether the project is likely to have a significant effect on the environment.

The proposals would see a limit of two-storey homes to “respect the character of the area”. The applicants state: “The emerging masterplan presents a landscape-led approach with substantial green space with the site allowing for informal recreation and play. Additionally, land for a local centre and a rural travel hub will be provided.”

An application document adds: “Papworth Everard is a well-connected sustainable village which provides a strong local service offering, including a Primary School, healthcare provision, convenience retail, employment areas, community facilities and recreational spaces. The village also offers an established network of footpaths, cycle routes and green corridors, supporting active travel.”

The site is not within the Green Belt and is entirely located within flood zone one. It comprises 32-hectares of agricultural land although the site has a developable residential area of approximately 11.4-hectares.

The new Belfast coffee shop is expected to become a popular stop-off destination for city centre shoppers, coffee lovers, and those looking for a stylish place to relax during the day

Following a £280,000 investment and the creation of ten new jobs, Northern Ireland’s homegrown coffee brand, Ground Espresso Bars, has officially launched its latest Belfast venue.

The new branch has just opened inside Next on Donegall Place, delivering its distinctive handcrafted coffee, fresh food, and laid-back ambience to the city centre’s core.

Expanding its network of 30 outlets and employing more than 240 staff throughout Northern Ireland, this exciting launch represents another significant achievement for Ground. The locally-established brand continues its expansion across the UK and Ireland, developing contemporary social hubs where customers can take a break, refresh, and socialise while shopping in one of Belfast’s most frequented retail locations.

Situated within the recently renovated Next store on Donegall Place, the new Ground Espresso Bar provides a premium coffee shop experience, showcasing expertly-prepared coffees, speciality teas from Belfast’s own SUKI Tea, fresh traybakes, pastries, sandwiches, and light refreshments – all presented within Ground’s modern and inviting setting.

Discussing the opening, Darren Gardiner from Ground Espresso Bars said: “We’re incredibly excited to open our newest store in the heart of Belfast city centre. Next on Donegall Place is a fantastic retail destination, and this new store allows us to bring the full Ground experience to even more customers.

“This investment reflects our continued confidence in Belfast and our commitment to creating welcoming social spaces where people can enjoy exceptional coffee and food.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter.

On Friday afternoon at 4pm, inside the Grand Hall at Alexandra Palace, the first of nearly 500 boxers from 14 countries will try and become the 2026 Haringey Box Cup champion. It is the world’s most prestigious tournament of its kind.

There is a magnificence and wild ambition about the Haringey Box Cup and it has been there since it launched in 2008. The numbers grew to a ridiculous 550 boxers at one point, which made it the biggest boxing tournament to ever take place in the UK; far bigger than the Olympics, the European championships, the Commonwealth Games and the world championships.

The Box Cup’s continued relevance has been highlighted once again during the last week or so. The seemingly endless stream of champions and contenders from appearing in the Haringey have popped up repeatedly in boxing news and on fight nights during the last few days.

Last Saturday in Sheffield, Leo Atang, now a professional, won for the seventh time as a heavyweight, the sixth by knockout. In 2024 he was the Male Youth 92+kgs champion – he was bout 17 in Ring B on the Sunday during the finals. His final was brutal and he was only 17 at the time. “It was hard, but I knew I had to win a Haringey title,” he said.

The day before Atang’s latest win, Katie Taylor walked out on the Croke Park pitch to announce her farewell fight at the iconic venue in September. There will be 82,000 people there on the night with some paying €1,500 (£1,296); Taylor won a Haringey title in 2010, and at the Olympics two summers later. It cost just fifteen quid for the quarters, semi-finals and finals when Taylor won. Double Olympic gold medal winners Nicola Adams and Kellie Harrington also won the Box Cup.

A few days before Taylor’s emotional news, Anthony Joshua officially announced his return to the ring in Jeddah in July. Joshua has been a spectator at the annual event on numerous occasions, hiding in plain sight, cheering on boxers from Finchley boxing club; he was also instrumental in DAZN’s brief sponsorship. In 2010, Joshua won the Haringey title on the same afternoon as Taylor. He had won it the year before. “That tournament helped prepare me for the Olympics,” he said.

In any conversation with boxing people – the location is irrelevant – there will be a Haringey connection. Last Saturday in Bournemouth, the unforgettable fight between Chris Billam-Smith and Canada’s Ryan Rozicki was typical of the event’s relevance. Josh Pritchard – who works with Billam-Smith’’s trainer, Shane McGuigan – was a winner in 2012; Cheavon Clarke, an Olympian in Tokyo, was in chief support on Saturday and won at Haringey in 2011. He claimed his crown during the same hour of the finals as Chris Eubank Jr.

On Friday, it all starts again. The nerves, the fear, the eyeing-up process, and the inevitable glory and elimination. There will be five rings to start, and that will go down to three rings on Sunday for the finals. It rightly remains one of the highlights of the boxing calendar. At noon on Sunday, 126 boxers across a dozen weights and over a dozen countries will try to win one of the 63 titles; it is unmissable for boxing fans and increasingly essential for boxers.

The bird of prey named Telyn was feeding her newborn chicks in her nest at the Cors Dyfi nature reserve in Powys when she was seen swallowing the sharp metal hook from a fish

A much-loved osprey was caught on camera swallowing a fishing hook while being observed by nature enthusiasts on a live feed at her nest. The bird of prey, named Telyn, was tending to her newborn chicks when she was captured on a livestream gulping down the sharp metal hook from a fish.

Conservationists are now scrutinising footage of Telyn with great concern, as they fear that should she become seriously ill, her three chicks would also perish.

Her mate – named Idris – had been filmed swooping down to the nest to deliver a freshly caught trout for the new mother and her chicks at their lakeside home at the Cors Dyfi nature reserve near Machynlleth, Powys.

The nest is under round-the-clock camera surveillance, and sharp-eyed viewers noticed Telyn picking up the fishing hook with her beak before swallowing it whole. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here

The Dyfi Osprey Project said: “At this point there is little we can do other than monitor closely Telyn’s behaviour over the next few hours and days.

“There is a chance she may regurgitate the fishing tackle or that strong enzymes in her stomach may start to break it down.

“We’ve seen fishing lines come to the nest before, but we’re never seen an osprey actually ingest a hook.”

They continued: “We can’t catch her, but even if we could, all three chicks would soon perish during the time she would be away.

“There are a lot of ‘we don’t knows’ at the moment.

“We’re planning for the worst outcome but hoping for the best.”

Telyn swallowed the hook on Friday, June 5 and in a subsequent update over the weekend, the project confirmed they could detect “no negative reactions” thus far.

They went on to say: “She’s a long way from being out of the woods yet, we’ll be watching her closely over the next few days.”

They later added: “Absolutely nothing to report. Which is a good thing! We can see no negative reactions in Telyn after she swallowed the fish hook – now almost 48 hours ago.

“That hook will have to come out somehow, though; we’ll keep monitoring.

“We’re confident that this hook was the non-barbed variety, meaning no vicious barbs along the stalk, which is excellent news.”

Cors Dyfi has been home to the The Dyfi Osprey Project since 2009, and the website reads that Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust have said: “Each year we learn more about these incredible birds and help to further the recovery of the Welsh osprey population.

“Over the years they have brought us joy and tears, sometimes at the same time!”

You can watch the live stream on YouTube here for updates on Telyn, Idris and their chicks.

Councillors say residents are still expressing their frustration with the new system

Council officers say a new AI-automated call system has received fewer than 10 complaints over the last year. South Cambridgeshire District Council, where many staff work for four days each week, introduced “SAM” to answer the public’s questions around 18 months ago.

It was first introduced only over the web before it was rolled out for phone calls too. Jeff Membery, head of transformation and people, told a meeting of the scrutiny and overview committee they “deliberately take a very cautious approach to our use of AI”.

He said: “We try and make sure that we get things right – moving in a slow and controlled manner is more important than rushing to try and take advantage of the very latest cutting-edge technology.” He said the AI decides whether it can answer a question and, if it can’t, it will redirect the call to the contact centre.

Cllr Yasmin Deter asked what the feedback has been. Mr Membery said the satisfaction rate is 87 per cent from asking webchat users to put “a smiley face” after their query.

He said: “The thing that’s actually remarkable is – you probably see stories in the press about large numbers of complaints in relation to chat bots, but we’ve had very few. I think over the course of a year we’ve had less than 10 complaints about SAM.”

Cllr Vivien Biggs said she’d called the council to report a dead deer after a resident of her village was “very frustrated” with speaking to the AI. She said: “It wanted to talk to me about fly-tipping – obviously a dead deer isn’t really fly-tipping.”

After saying something “along the lines of, ‘I want a person’” she was put through to the call centre, who promised the deer would be removed.

Mr Membery said he would “rather suspect” that dead deer “are probably not one of the things we’ve yet trained SAM on” but was “slightly disappointed” the AI didn’t automatically pass her on to a call handler.

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Cllr Heather Williams also shared her experience with SAM and said she tried the AI webchat before she “surrendered and gave up”. She said: “I appreciate the web chat is slightly different but, as a councillor, the amount of phone calls I’ve had because people haven’t been able to get through to the council.

“I find particularly when older people whose voices may not be as strong, they tend to come through because they just feel like they’re not getting through. SAM would not have responded and answered them and nor would they have been transferred – they’ve given up, they’ve hung up.”

Mr Membery said that SAM “isn’t for everybody” but he was “really surprised” to hear that people weren’t being automatically put through to the contact centre as they “test regularly”.

He said: “If somebody does come through and speaks about their experience with SAM and say it was negative, they feed that through to our digital team – we’ve not had a lot of those being fed through.”

Cllr Williams said: “There’s a big flaw in your theory there – if I’m frustrated with something, am I going to wait to be put through or am I going to hang up the phone?”

Mr Membery said the number of hang ups is recorded but it’s “impossible to know the reason why somebody gave up”. He said: “Was it because they were frustrated with SAM, or had they suddenly remembered the answer and they didn’t need to ask the question – or somebody rang on their doorbell, we don’t know that.”

Cllr Dr Richard Williams said “to end on a positive note” he had called “and it was actually very good, it did answer my query quite quickly”.

The local authority looks to be running out of traditional plots for coffins with a report in chambers showing only one of its 10 cemeteries is open to new burials

A NI council is set to provide a ‘scattering garden’ for people’s remains as it looks to save space for burials.

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council’s environment committee has backed a plan to explore alternative and culturally diverse end of life needs with an upcoming design for a potential new cemetery.

The local authority looks to be running out of traditional plots for coffins with a report in chambers showing only one of its 10 cemeteries is open to new burials.

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Castlereagh South Alliance councillor Bronagh Magee said:”Since the original motion back in October I have received very positive comments from the public in regards to the natural burials from people in Lisburn and Castlereagh and beyond.

“I have also noted that undertakers have told officers that there has been an increase in people interested in alternative and sustainable options for burials.

“Although our council is not in a position to offer a designated site, I welcome that it will be explored.”

The environmental proposals come as the UK Government works towards continuing efforts to lower harmful gas emissions by 2027.

According to the committee, the council will call for an end to embalming and provide plots that can hold up to 12 urns as well as a scattering garden where ashes can be released.

Lisburn North independent councillor Gary Hynds added:”I would be very pro-choice on this matter.

“The only comment I would make would be to know the demand, which will come out through the feasibility report.

“There are some who would want an alternative option instead.”

A council officer responded:”We currently don’t provide alternative options for residents at end of life.

“There is an increase in cremation, but we are some way behind the likes of England, Scotland and Wales.

“There is considerably less space needed for the burial of ashes than a traditional coffin.

“We will bring back a feasibility report which will have further engagement around alternative burials and our long term future needs.”

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