UK banking giant Barclays is collaborating with London-headquartered AI start-up ExpectAI to test the company’s flagship Una platform, which uses data and AI to create digital twins of SME operations to generate actionable insights and help businesses become more sustainable.
Established in 2021 by founder and CEO Anand Verma, ExpectAI focuses on providing SMEs with information on their carbon profile, tailored energy-efficiency recommendations, and connections to verified solution providers and funding partners.
Writing on LinkedIn, ExpectAI says Una “is the world’s first AI-driven climate action platform built specifically for small and mid-sized businesses”.
“It gives you an instant view of your carbon footprint and turns it into a clear, tailored climate action plan — prioritising the steps that save money, improve efficiency, and strengthen profitability,” the company says.
Barclays has said that it will start testing ExpectAI’s Una platform in early 2026 using publicly available information.
In a statement, the bank says: “The testing will assess the potential of the platform to create value for UK-based businesses, including how AI-powered insights could translate sustainability opportunities into measurable improvements in productivity, cost efficiency and competitiveness.”
Daniel Hanna, Group Head of Sustainable and Transition Finance at Barclays, adds: “Our ambition with this initiative is to support the development of an emerging climate tech business and help our clients understand the connection between sustainability and business value creation.”
The new collaboration with ExpectAI aligns with Barclays’ sustainability efforts outlined in the Barclays Transition Update, published in July. The update set out how the bank aims to continue working towards becoming net zero by 2050.
Source: https://www.fintechfutures.com/
