FCA launches Supercharged Sandbox to boost AI testing in finance
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority rolled out the Supercharged Sandbox, a new environment for firms to test AI ideas early in development. It builds on FCA’s existing AI Live Testing service that supports firms already ready to deploy AI.
The Sandbox offers advanced compute power through NayaOne’s Digital Sandbox infrastructure to speed up AI innovation. Applications are open now on the FCA website. Successful firms can start experimenting in October. 
Jessica Rusu, FCA Chief Data, Intelligence and Information Officer, said:
"This collaboration will help those that want to test AI ideas but who lack the capabilities to do so. We’ll help firms harness AI to benefit our markets and consumers, while supporting economic growth."
NVIDIA’s EMEA Head of Financial Technology Jochen Papenbrock called the Sandbox "a secure environment to explore AI innovations" with their accelerated computing platform:
"AI is fundamentally reshaping the financial sector by automating processes, enhancing data analysis, and improving decision-making, which leads to greater efficiency, accuracy, and risk management across a wide range of financial activities. The FCA’s Supercharged Sandbox provides firms with a secure environment to explore AI innovations using NVIDIA’s full stack accelerated computing platform, supporting industry-wide growth and efficiency."
The Supercharged Sandbox announcement follows the FCA’s April 2025 proposal for AI Live Testing to help firms ready for real-world AI use. The regulator is pushing digital innovation without adding new AI-specific regulations, relying on current frameworks instead. The FCA’s AI Update from April 2024 laid out how existing rules apply to AI use.
Firms can apply now at the FCA’s AI Lab page.
