Cleo

Ever notice how spending feels a little easier right after payday? There’s a behavioral science reason for that. Economist Richard Thaler describes “mental accounting” as the way we mentally sort money into different buckets based on where it came from or what we expect to use it for. When your paycheck hits and your balance jumps, that money can suddenly feel more available. Rent is still due. Bills haven’t changed. Savings goals are still there. But those future expenses can temporarily feel less immediate. That’s the psychology behind your spending. And it’s part of how we think about money at Cleo. Our philosophy is that understanding your finances isn’t just about showing you the numbers. It’s about understanding the behaviors behind them, so you can make more informed decisions about your money. The Psychology Behind Your Spending is where we’ll unpack the behavioral science behind everyday money decisions and what it can teach us about the way we spend, save and think about money.

What makes someone recommend a product to their friends and family? For Mary, it wasn't just the features. It was feeling more informed, more confident, and more in control of her financial decisions. In this final chapter of her story, she shares why she continues to recommend Cleo to the people closest to her.

Cleo’s 2025 Annual Report is live. It highlights our continued evolution as a mature financial platform, driven by AI innovation, product expansion, and disciplined scale. We’ve deepened member engagement and expanded our reach- from launching Autopilot to automate everyday money management, to returning to the UK market to empower a broader international audience. As we scale responsibly, our focus remains on building smarter products, advancing our AI capabilities, and helping millions of members build real financial confidence. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/gHRKFUaD

Cleo's Bills Hub lets users see what's projected to leave their account before payday. But detecting bills is harder than just finding payments on a schedule. Some bills are irregular, and plenty of scheduled spending isn't a bill. So we rebuilt our detector to match on merchant and amount first and infer timing last. The new algorithm improved outcomes on every accuracy metric we track. New engineering post on how we got there, and why we chose a rule-based system over an LLM (yes, at an AI company): https://lnkd.in/gBHy23me 

Up Close with Kaisha Chauhan, Quality & Training Lead at Cleo. For Kaisha, quality isn’t just about following the right process. It’s about making sure the person on the other side of the conversation actually feels supported. In this edition of Up Close, she shares what it takes to scale quality at Cleo, how her team is using AI alongside human insight, and why influencing across teams is such a big part of making change happen. Interested in joining Cleo?: https://lnkd.in/dPFjeuAG

What starts as a chance to learn can sometimes lead somewhere unexpected. Mary joined Cleo's Money IQ curious to test her financial knowledge. She walked away with much more than she imagined. Her story is a reminder that building financial confidence isn't always about one big moment—it's about creating opportunities that help people move forward. At Cleo, we want to make money feel less intimidating and more empowering for everyone. Stories like Mary's are why we keep building.

Financial advice is everywhere. So why doesn’t more of it lead to healthier money habits? Cleo’s Robinson Torres saw two common problems in his work as a financial counselor. Some people know what to do and freeze when it’s time to act. Others move too quickly because bad advice gives them false confidence. His new piece for Cleo is about the difference between giving advice and actually changing a person’s financial behavior for the better. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eRbUX9Sq

What does it actually take to make an impact in data science at Cleo? For Mariama, Data Science Manager, it’s not just about getting the numbers right. It’s about communicating the why, turning insights into action, owning your ideas, and learning fast. In this week’s Cleo Up Close, Mariama shares what it’s like working in a team where experimentation is constant, mistakes become better frameworks, and learning is part of the everyday. “Data science is not just a science, it is equally an art, and that art is communication.” Interested in joining Cleo? We'd love to hear from you. Share a few details and apply here: https://lnkd.in/dPFjeuAG

We're excited to introduce the speakers joining us for Money Talks, our industry meetup for London's product community. You'll hear from leaders across design, lending, product marketing, and conversational AI, sharing what they've learned from building AI-first consumer products at Cleo. We're also giving a preview of two of the sessions: Kelly Bladl, Conversational Design Manager Big Sis Energy at Scale: Conversation Design as Infrastructure Liney Arnorsdottir, Director of Product Marketing From 0→1: The Playbook to Building Breakthrough Product Marketing Building products, looking to connect with like-minded people, or curious about AI at Cleo? We'd love to see you there. Cleo London Office Wednesday, 26 August Doors open: 6:00 pm | Talks begin: 6:30 pm Register your interest here: https://lnkd.in/ekXz_rKf Places are limited, so register your interest and we'll be in touch to confirm your spot.

Money is deeply personal, especially during life's hardest moments. In the first of our conversation with Mary, she shares how losing her father changed her relationship with money and how rebuilding her financial confidence became part of her healing. Her story is a reminder that behind every budget or bank balance is a real person navigating real life. At Cleo, we believe financial tools should support people through every stage of life—not just when things are easy. Helping people build confidence with their money is why we do what we do.