- Claude now works within Microsoft Excel, reading, editing and explaining each cell.
- Around a thousand users are testing Claude’s Excel skills ahead of its public release
- AI assistant can correct formulas and generate new sheets in seconds
Anthropic has introduced Claude for Excel, a new service that allows users to work with the AI assistant directly within Microsoft’s popular spreadsheet software.
The new tool allows Claude to read and modify 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 their process.
Limited beta launch and financial data integration.
Anthropic says around 1,000 testers will provide feedback ahead of a broader launch, and the launch 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 for market data providers such as Moody’s, LSEG, Egnyte and Aiera.
These connections allow Claude to access live price data, earnings transcripts and credit reports, offering real-time financial context during spreadsheet analysis.
The integration brings Claude into the same environment that analysts and accountants use daily, signaling a move toward deeper integration into existing professional workflows.
Several major financial institutions already use Claude in their operations, including AIG, whose early implementation reportedly reduced deal review times by more than five times and improved data accuracy to more than 90%, and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, managed by Norges Bank Investment Management, which saw productivity gains of approximately 20%, equivalent to 213,000 work hours saved.
These are not pilot projects, but rather full-scale implementations across risk and portfolio departments.
Although the figures come from company statements, they point to strong productivity claims in an industry often cautious about adopting new technologies.
By linking Claude to Excel, Anthropic enters territory already occupied by Microsoft Copilot.
Both systems use artificial intelligence 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 and up-to-date data.
However, questions remain about how well the assistant will work in production environments and whether it can earn the same trust as Microsoft’s established productivity tools.
For now, Claude’s arrival shows growing competition over who will shape the next generation of AI-powered finance.
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