You’ve heard it before. AI is changing everything. But let me tell you what’s actually happening in our Zurich office at Albusi. We’re financial analysts. We build pitch decks. We create financial models. And we just cut our modeling time in half using Claude Projects. To be specific, AI financial modeling with Claude was just shocking.
Not exaggerating. Not marketing fluff. Real results.
By 2025, 85% of financial institutions will have integrated AI into their operations, up from 45% in 2022. The shift isn’t coming. It’s here. And AI financial modeling is leading that charge.
What Is AI Financial Modeling?
AI financial modeling is using artificial intelligence to automate and enhance the creation of financial models. Instead of manually building every formula and connection, AI helps you build the foundation—the sheets, the equations, the linkages between statements.
Traditional financial modeling? That’s hours of Excel work. Building revenue drivers. Linking your income statement to your balance sheet. Making sure your cash flow actually flows. It’s tedious. It’s time-consuming. And honestly, it’s mostly repetitive work that doesn’t require deep analytical thinking.
Research shows that finance teams spend about 90% of their time trudging through numbers and only 10% actually analyzing. AI financial modeling flips that ratio. Or at least, it starts to.
Our Experience With Claude Projects for Financial Modeling
We tested Claude’s new file creation capabilities with financial modeling. The results? Better than expected. Way better.
Here’s what we did. We built a 3-statement model using Claude Projects. Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement. The whole thing. And Claude handled the starting structure in 10-15 minutes.
Let me be clear—this isn’t some magic button that spits out a perfect model. You still need to edit. You still need to verify equations. It’s important, you absolutely need to confirm that formulas are working correctly. But as a starting point to build all the sheets and basic connections? Claude crushed it.
We’re talking about a task that used to take 3-4 hours now taking maybe 90 minutes total. That’s half the time. And the quality? Solid enough that we’re comfortable using it as our go-to method.
The Reality Check: What Claude Does Well (And What It Doesn’t)
Claude excels at building structure. Give it clear instructions about what you need, and it’ll generate:
- Multiple connected Excel sheets
- Basic formulas and equations
- Linkages between statements
- Standard financial model architecture
What it doesn’t do is eliminate the need for financial expertise. You still need to:
- Review every formula for accuracy
- Adjust assumptions based on your specific company
- Verify that circular references are handled correctly
- Ensure the model actually makes sense for your industry
Think of it this way. Claude builds the skeleton. You add the brain. AI can process financial data 90% faster than traditional methods, but it can’t replace financial judgment. Not yet, anyway.
This is similar to why AI financial statement analysis is becoming a problem for pitch decks—AI can generate content quickly, but quality control still requires human oversight.
How To Use Claude For AI Financial Modeling: A Short Guide
Want to try this yourself? Here’s how we do it at Albusi:
Step 1: Set Up Your Claude Project Create a new project in Claude. Upload any existing financial data, templates, or company information you want Claude to reference. The more context you give it, the better the output.
Step 2: Write Clear Instructions Don’t just say “build me a financial model.” Be specific. Tell Claude:
- What type of model you need (3-statement, DCF, LBO, etc.)
- What time period to cover
- What revenue drivers to include
- Any industry-specific considerations
Step 3: Generate The Initial Structure Let Claude build the foundation. It’ll create the sheets, set up the basic architecture, and establish the connections between statements. This takes about 10-15 minutes.
Step 4: Review And Edit This is where your expertise matters. Go through every formula. Check every linkage. Make sure the logic flows correctly. This is not optional. This is critical.
Step 5: Test The Model Run scenarios. Change assumptions. Make sure the model reacts the way it should. If changing revenue doesn’t flow through to cash flow correctly, you’ve got a problem.
Step 6: Iterate Found issues? Tell Claude what’s wrong and have it fix specific sections. The back-and-forth process works well because Claude can handle targeted edits without rebuilding everything.
If you’re looking for funding after building your model, you might want to check out resources like angel investors for nonprofits or other funding guides on our site.
The Bigger Picture: Why AI Financial Modeling Matters
The numbers don’t lie. AI is expected to save banks up to $340 billion by 2025. That’s not just efficiency gains. That’s a fundamental shift in how financial work gets done.
Companies using AI for forecasting see a 20% decrease in overall forecast error. That’s better predictions. Better planning. Better decisions.
But here’s what really matters for financial analysts like us. It’s not about replacing jobs. It’s about shifting what we do. Less time on repetitive tasks. More time on actual analysis and on strategy. More time on the work that actually requires human judgment.
Anthropic even hosted a livestream on Claude for financial services that dives deeper into how financial institutions are using these tools.
The Limitations You Need To Know
AI financial modeling isn’t perfect. Not even close. Here are the problems we’ve run into:
Formula Errors: Claude sometimes creates formulas that look right but aren’t. You need to check everything. Every. Single. Formula.
Industry Nuances: If you’re modeling a SaaS company versus a manufacturing company versus a retail business, the models look different. Claude doesn’t always get those nuances right.
Complex Scenarios: When you need sophisticated scenario planning or Monte Carlo simulations, you’re better off building those sections yourself or using specialized tools.
Circular References: Financial models often have intentional circular references (like debt schedules). Claude can struggle with these. You’ll need to set them up manually.
What’s Next For AI Financial Modeling
The AI financial modeling market is exploding. Projected to grow from $712.4 million in 2022 to $12.3 billion by 2032. That’s a 33% annual growth rate.
More tools are coming. Better tools. Tools that understand financial logic better, and that can handle more complex scenarios. Tools that might actually eliminate the need for manual formula checking.
But right now, in 2025, the sweet spot is using AI as a starting point. Use it to build structure. Use it to save time on the boring stuff. Then apply your expertise to make it actually good.
Our Verdict
AI financial modeling with Claude Projects works. It’s not magic. It’s not perfect. But it’s damn useful.
We’re saving hours on every model. We’re spending more time on analysis and less time on Excel drudgery. And the quality of our work hasn’t dropped—if anything, it’s improved because we have more time to think strategically.
If you’re a financial analyst, a CFO, or anyone building financial models regularly, you should try this. Start small. Build a simple model. See what works. Iterate.
The future of financial modeling isn’t human versus AI. It’s human plus AI. And that combination? That’s where the real efficiency gains happen.
At Albusi, we’re all in on AI financial modeling. Half the time, better quality, more focus on what actually matters. That’s a win in our book.
Using claude, you can do that in a few minutes, example with prompts. what to look for.