Short answer: not with the Copilot most people use. The Copilot app on copilot.microsoft.com, in Windows 11 and on your phone can connect to a few services, such as Outlook.com, OneDrive and Gmail. It can't connect to anything else. You can't add your own connections, so it can't read your bank balances through Aureli or any other service.
There is one version of Copilot that can: GitHub Copilot, Microsoft's assistant for programmers. It's free, it works in the UK, and it can read your balances, net worth and transactions through Aureli. But it lives inside a programming tool, and we'll be honest that it isn't where most people want to ask about their pension.
This guide explains what each version of Copilot can and can't do, how to set up the route that works, and the simplest option if you just want an AI assistant that knows your numbers.
Why Copilot can't see your bank account
No AI assistant connects to your bank directly. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and Copilot all lack the regulated access that UK banks require. Instead, an assistant can read your money through a service that already has that access.
Aureli is one of those services. It connects to your UK bank accounts through Open Banking, the FCA-regulated system banks use to share account information securely. It then makes that information available to AI assistants through what's called an MCP server. You can think of it as a socket that an assistant plugs into. It lives at one web address:
https://aureli.app/api/mcp
Any assistant that lets you add your own "connector" or "MCP server" can use it. The question for Copilot is whether it lets you plug that address in.
What each version of Copilot can do
Microsoft uses the Copilot name for several different products, which is why the answer depends on which one you mean.
| Can it connect to Aureli? | Who it's for | |
|---|---|---|
| Copilot app (web, Windows, phone) | No | Everyone, free |
| Copilot in Microsoft 365 Personal / Family | No | Home subscribers |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot (work) | Only if your IT admin allows it | Employees, on a company account |
| GitHub Copilot | Yes | Programmers, free plan available |
Table: Which versions of Microsoft Copilot can connect to an outside MCP server, October 2026.
The Copilot app and Microsoft 365 Personal or Family. These share one list of connectors: OneDrive, Outlook.com (email, calendar and contacts), Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Contacts. You'll find them under Profile → Connectors. There's no option to add another one, and Microsoft hasn't said when, or whether, that will change. This is the version we'd most like to support. When Microsoft opens it up, we'll update this guide.
Microsoft 365 Copilot at work. Business versions of Copilot can connect to outside MCP servers, but your employer's IT administrator sets this up, not you. Even if they would, your personal bank balances don't belong in a work account that your employer manages and can audit. We don't recommend this route.
GitHub Copilot. This is the version built for writing software, and it lives in Visual Studio Code, Microsoft's free code editor. It fully supports adding your own MCP servers, including on the free plan. If you're comfortable installing a developer tool, it works today. The steps are below.
Copilot doesn't have its own banking feature. Microsoft Money was discontinued in 2009, and Copilot has nothing built in for linking bank accounts. If you've seen "Copilot Money" in search results, that's an unrelated US budgeting app that doesn't work with UK banks.
What you get once it's connected
With an assistant connected to Aureli, you can ask about your real numbers in plain English. It can read balances across your current accounts, savings, ISAs, pensions, investments, mortgages and credit cards. It can tell you your net worth, show how your money is split, and see how things have changed.
If you switch on transaction data when you connect a UK bank, it can also read the individual payments behind those balances. That means it can answer questions like "what did I spend on groceries last month?". Transaction data is optional and off by default.
The assistant can't move money, make payments, or change anything at your bank. Its access stops at Aureli. The Aureli connector is free on every Aureli plan, including Lite.
Step 1: Connect your bank to Aureli
You need this step whichever assistant you use.
Sign up at aureli.app and connect your bank accounts. You sign in through your bank's own app or website, just as you would for any Open Banking service, and Aureli gets read-only access to your balances. Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC, NatWest, Santander, Nationwide, Monzo, Starling, Revolut and most other UK banks are supported.
To let your assistant see transactions as well as balances, switch on Include transaction data (optional) on the review screen before you go to your bank. You can only choose this at that point. To add it later, you have to remove the connection and set it up again. Tracking bank transactions has the details.
Step 2: Add Aureli to GitHub Copilot
What you'll need:
- A free Aureli account with at least one UK bank connected
- A free GitHub account with Copilot Free turned on
- Visual Studio Code, which is free for Windows and Mac
- About 15 minutes
1. Set up Visual Studio Code. Install it, open it, and sign in to GitHub when it asks you to turn on Copilot. The Chat panel opens on the right.
2. Add the Aureli server. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Cmd+Shift+P on a Mac), type MCP: Add Server, and press Enter. Choose HTTP, paste https://aureli.app/api/mcp, name it aureli, and choose to install it globally so it's available everywhere.
3. Sign in to Aureli. VS Code asks for permission to sign in to the Aureli server. Choose Allow, and Aureli opens in your browser. Sign in and choose how much access to give:
- Read — Copilot can read your portfolios, balances, net worth, allocation, valuations and, on accounts you opted in, transactions.
- Read and edit — adds changes that stay inside Aureli. These are: adding and updating the assets and debts you track, recording trades, keeping valuations current, archiving holdings, filing transactions under spending categories, and asking your connected banks for fresh data. It still can't move money or change a bank connection.
4. Ask a question. In the Chat panel, switch the mode to Agent and ask "What's my net worth?". Copilot asks before using an Aureli tool for the first time. Choose Allow and it answers from your real numbers.
Copilot Free comes with a monthly allowance of chat requests. That's plenty for checking in on your finances, but heavy use can hit the limit before the month ends.
The simpler option: Claude or Grok
If installing a code editor to check your ISA sounds like more effort than it's worth, we agree. Two mainstream assistants take the same Aureli address straight from their normal settings, work in the UK, and need no extra software:
- Claude — Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector. Works on the website, the desktop app and the phone app.
- Grok — the + button in the chat box → Add connector → Custom.
Each takes about five minutes. If you prefer Google, we've written up where Gemini stands. It's a similar story to Copilot, though Google is a step further along.
What you can ask
A few questions to try once you're connected:
- "What's my current net worth?"
- "How much do I have across all my ISAs?"
- "What's my mortgage balance compared to my property's equity?"
- "How has my net worth changed over the last 3 months?"
- "What are my five largest assets right now?"
- "Update my house's valuation to £450,000." — this one needs Read and edit.
With transaction data switched on:
- "What did I spend on groceries last month?"
- "Find every subscription charge since January and total them up."
- "My current account is down £400 this month. What moved?"
Security and privacy
For the wider picture, see our guide on whether it's safe to connect AI to your bank account.
Open Banking is FCA-regulated. Aureli Tech Limited (FRN 1056139) is a registered agent of Finexer Ltd (FRN 925695), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as an Account Information Service Provider (AISP).
Your bank password stays with your bank. When you connect a UK bank, you sign in directly with the bank. Neither Aureli nor Microsoft ever sees your banking details. Finexer receives a read-only token and shares your account information with Aureli. Learn more
The assistant can only reach Aureli, not your bank. It can read your data and, if you allow it, make changes inside Aureli. It cannot move money, make payments, open or close accounts, or change a bank connection.
Transaction data is opt-in, and deleting it takes one click. If you switch it on, Delete transaction data in the connection's menu permanently removes every transaction Aureli holds for that connection, without touching your balances.
You can disconnect at any time. Revoke access from Profile → Security → Connected Apps in Aureli. Managing connected apps covers it. You can also remove the server in VS Code.
We don't sell your data or share it with advertisers. The full details are in our privacy policy.
What you type into Copilot is processed by Microsoft and GitHub under their terms. That's the part worth weighing, rather than the bank link itself.
Common questions about Copilot and your bank account
Can Microsoft Copilot connect to my bank account?
Not the everyday Copilot app. Copilot on copilot.microsoft.com, in Windows and on your phone can connect to a fixed list of services: OneDrive, Outlook.com, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar and Google Contacts. Microsoft doesn't let you add your own. No version of Copilot connects to a bank directly. GitHub Copilot can read your UK bank data through Aureli today, but it's a tool for programmers.
Does Copilot work with Microsoft 365 Personal or Family?
The Copilot that comes with Microsoft 365 Personal, Family and Premium uses the same fixed set of connectors as the free Copilot app, so it can't connect to Aureli or any other outside finance service. The work version, Microsoft 365 Copilot, can, but only if your employer's IT admin allows it, and your personal finances don't belong in a work account.
Is there a Microsoft Money app that works with Copilot?
No. Microsoft discontinued Microsoft Money in 2009, and Copilot has no built-in personal finance or bank-linking feature. Copilot Money, which often comes up in searches, is an unrelated US budgeting app that doesn't support UK banks.
Which AI assistant can read my UK bank account?
Any assistant that lets you add a custom connector, also called an MCP server, can read your UK bank data through Aureli, which holds an FCA-regulated open banking connection. Claude and Grok both support this in their normal settings in the UK, and the setup takes about five minutes. Microsoft Copilot and the Gemini app don't support it in the UK yet.
Is it safe to connect an AI assistant to my bank?
The assistant never touches your bank. You sign in through your bank's own app or website, your password is never shared with Aureli or the AI company, and the bank connection is read-only. The assistant's access stops at Aureli, and it cannot move money, open or close accounts, or change a bank connection. What you type into the chat is processed by the AI company under its own terms, and that's the part worth weighing.
Get started
Sign up at aureli.app and connect a bank account. Then add https://aureli.app/api/mcp to GitHub Copilot in VS Code, or to Claude or Grok if you'd rather skip the code editor.
