- Claude now works in Microsoft Excel, reading, editing and explaining each cell
- Around a thousand users test Claude’s Excel skills before its public rollout
- AI assistant can correct formulas and generate new sheets in seconds
Anthropic introduced Claude for Excel, a new service allowing users to work with the AI assistant directly within Microsoft’s popular spreadsheet.
The new tool allows Claude to read and edit workbooks, correct formulas and create new spreadsheets from a sidebar.
Each action is tracked and explained, allowing users to see the exact cells or formulas referenced in its process.
Limited beta and financial data integration
Anthropic says around 1,000 testers will provide feedback ahead of a wider release, and the rollout is a preview of beta research for its Max, Enterprise, and Teams users.
The tool expands on Anthropic’s previous financial services initiatives, which already include connectors to market data providers such as Moody’s, LSEG, Egnyte and Aiera.
These connections allow Claude to access live pricing data, income statements and credit reports, providing real-time financial context when analyzing spreadsheets.
The integration brings Claude into the same environment used daily by analysts and accountants, signaling a move toward deeper integration into existing professional workflows.
Several large financial institutions are already using Claude in their operations, including AIG, whose early deployment reportedly reduced business review times by more than 5x while improving data accuracy to over 90%, and the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, managed by Norges Bank Investment Management, which saw productivity gains of approximately 20%, or 213,000 man hours saved.
These are not pilot projects but large-scale implementations in the risk and portfolio departments.
Although the figures come from company statements, they underline strong claims for productivity in an industry often cautious about adopting new technologies.
By connecting Claude to Excel, Anthropic enters territory already occupied by Microsoft Copilot.
Both systems use AI tools to help users manage complex spreadsheets, but Anthropic’s version adds links to specialized financial data sets and workflows.
These integrations could make Claude valuable to analysts who depend on accurate, up-to-date data.
Still, questions remain about how well the assistant will perform in production environments and whether it can gain the same trust as Microsoft’s established productivity tools.
For now, Claude’s arrival signals growing competition over who will shape the next generation of AI-driven finance.
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