South African investors can now use artificial intelligence to better understand their own investment portfolios, following the launch of a new integration from local investment platform Fynbos Money that connects customers’ accounts directly to AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude.
The integration allows customers to ask questions about their own investments in everyday language and receive analysis based on their actual portfolio information. Questions such as “Has my money actually grown, or have I just deposited more?”, “What am I actually invested in?” or “What could an extra R500 a month mean over 20 years?” can now be answered using information from their own accounts, giving investors access to insights that have traditionally required specialist financial knowledge.
The launch comes as AI companies push further into financial services. Anthropic, the company behind Claude, recently introduced Claude for Financial Advisors, connecting financial professionals with data and tools used for research, preparation and documentation. Fynbos is taking this shift directly to individual investors, making AI-powered financial analysis accessible to customers using their own investment data.
“Investing has become far more accessible, but access to useful financial insight hasn’t necessarily kept pace,” says Adrian Hope-Bailie, co-founder of Fynbos Money. “AI has the potential to change that. By giving people the ability to interrogate their own investment information, we can make useful financial insight much more accessible.”
It’s an approach Hope-Bailie calls ‘bring your own intelligence’. Rather than building its own AI assistant, Fynbos allows customers to connect their investments to supported AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude, giving them the freedom to use the tools they’re already familiar with.
How the AI connection works
Customers can choose to connect their Fynbos account to a supported AI assistant, giving it access to read-only information about their accounts, balances and selected funds. The assistant can also use tools developed by Fynbos to perform calculations and projections and access fund information such as performance and fees.
The functionality has been built using Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard that allows AI applications to connect to external tools and data. This means Fynbos customers can use compatible AI assistants rather than being tied to a single provider.
Connecting is entirely optional, and access to the Fynbos account is read-only. AI assistants cannot use the connection to move money, buy or sell investments, switch funds or make any other changes to the account. Any information accessed through a connected AI assistant is subject to that provider’s own privacy, data processing and retention policies.
The AI functionality is intended to help customers understand and analyse their investments, rather than replace personalised financial advice. Any projections are illustrative, based on assumptions and should not be interpreted as guarantees of future returns. Fynbos also offers on-demand access to financial advisers, giving customers the option of seeking professional input without committing to an ongoing advice fee.
New Fynbos Money app launches alongside AI functionality
Fynbos has also launched its first mobile app, responding to one of its most requested customer features. The app introduces biometric login, faster performance and a more responsive mobile experience, while giving Fynbos access to security and usability features not available through its web platform.
“Both developments reflect the direction we want to take Fynbos Money,” says Hope-Bailie. “We want to build technology that makes investing simpler, gives customers greater control and helps them make more informed decisions about their money.”
The new Fynbos Money app is available to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. For more information on connecting your Fynbos account to an AI assistant, visit https://fynbos.money/ai.