Back Finextra

OpenAI gives UK banks access to cybersecurity model

Finextra • June 2, 2026

OpenAI has offered the UK's biggest banks access to its new cybersecurity AI model. The decision contrasts with the approach taken by rival Anthropic, which continues to keep its Mythos model out of the hands of non-US lenders.

The full story

This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

UK Banks Denied Access to Mythos AI Amid Cybersecurity Concerns As of May 29, 2026, UK banks still lack access to Anthropic's Mythos AI model, which is crucial for testing cybersecurity defenses. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey highlighted that the delay stems from political and licensing issues with the US administration. Meanwhile, OpenAI has offered access to its GPT-5.5-Cyber model to nine UK banks, providing an alternative for cybersecurity testing. The AI Security Institute found both models to perform similarly in simulating cyber-attacks. Concerns persist regarding the potential misuse of Mythos, which has demonstrated advanced capabilities in penetrating corporate networks. The situation reflects a broader challenge in aligning AI access with regulatory frameworks across jurisdictions. The lack of access to Mythos creates a defensive gap for UK banks managing trillions in assets. 18 sources 58

Extracted Entities

Tools (1)

Mythos