Bank AI
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first direct — UK telephone-and-online bank headquartered in Leeds, owned by HSBC UK, regulated by the FCA and PRA, with a long-standing reputation for customer service.

HQ
Leeds
Customers
1.5M+ UK customers
Connection
Open Banking (read-only)

  • Current accounts and salary inflows

    Your first direct current account, with salary credits tagged and outflows auto-categorised on the same taxonomy as your other banks.

  • Savings, deposits and pots

    Easy-access savings, fixed-term deposits and goal-based pots offered by first direct are read alongside the current account so the full balance is never split.

  • Cards and recurring spend

    Debit-card and credit-card transactions are auto-categorised, with card-on-file subscriptions detected as recurring monthly spend.

  • Standing orders and direct debits

    Mortgage payments, rent, utilities and SEPA direct debits hitting your first direct account are detected so non-discretionary outflows are clear month-on-month.

  • Current accounts

    Read by Bank AI

    Read-only view of your daily spending account: balance, transactions, IBAN. Bank AI never moves the money - it stays in the bank.

  • Savings accounts

    Read by Bank AI

    Easy-access savings, vaults, fixed-term deposits and pots are read alongside the current account so the full balance picture is never split.

  • Joint accounts

    Read by Bank AI

    Joint accounts are read for every co-holder who connects the bank under their own consent - each member sees the same balances and transactions.

  • Business accounts

    Not yet supported

    Where the bank exposes business / SME / freelancer accounts via PSD2, they are read alongside personal accounts and tagged separately for clean reporting.

  • Multi-currency balances

    Not yet supported

    Multi-currency wallets surface every currency you hold separately, with FX rates applied so home-currency net worth stays accurate.

  • Debit and credit cards

    Read by Bank AI

    Card-only products without a full IBAN account are read for spend, statements and standing orders just like a current account.

Auto-classified merchants

  • Tesco
  • Sainsbury's
  • Waitrose
  • M&S Food
  • TfL
  • Amazon UK
  • Uber
  • Pret A Manger

Detected subscriptions

  • Netflix
  • Spotify
  • Disney+
  • Now TV
  • Sky UK
  • BT

  • How much sits across my first direct 1st Account, Regular Saver and Cash ISA?
  • Compare my first direct card spend at Waitrose and M&S Food with last quarter.
  • List every active subscription on my first direct card.
  • What's the next direct debit due on my first direct account?

Does Bank AI move money on my first direct account?

No. Bank AI is read-only by design. Transfers, payments and standing orders continue to happen inside first direct. Bank AI surfaces balances, transactions and recurring totals; every action remains under your control inside the first direct app.

How does Bank AI connect to first direct?

first direct exposes account data via PSD2. Bank AI uses licensed Account Information Service Providers (AISPs) to read balances, transactions and standing orders; Strong Customer Authentication is enforced every 90 days as the rules require.

Is first direct the same as HSBC UK?

first direct is owned by HSBC UK but operates its own brand and customer base. Bank AI reads each one as its own connection so a first direct 1st Account and an HSBC UK account stay distinct.

Does Bank AI surface my first direct 1st Account?

Yes. The 1st Account is first direct's flagship current account and is read identically to any other UK current account - the connection is at account level.

What about my first direct Regular Saver and Cash ISA?

Regular Saver, Bonus Savings and Cash ISA balances are read as distinct sub-balances under your first direct connection, with the regulated rates and ISA cap visible.

What happens if first direct raises a connectivity error?

PSD2 connections occasionally require re-authentication (the 90-day SCA refresh) or fail because of a first direct-side maintenance window. Bank AI shows a clear status pill on the connection and prompts you to re-authenticate without losing any of your data.

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