AI Development for a FinTech Expense Automation

We helped a fast-scaling startup create an expense categorization tool with AI development. Integrated directly into their internal dashboard, it automates expense classification and organizes results into real-time insights for future reporting.

FinTech

About the Project

Our client, a growing FinTech startup from the US, needed to speed up financial operations without building a full finance team. They partnered with us to develop a modular artificial intelligence development solution that would automatically categorize expenses, integrate into their internal system, and support accurate financial tracking. With a React interface and smart automation powered by OpenAI and Python, our AI development agency built a custom tool that processes uploaded files, classifies spending into client-defined categories, and generates structured reports ready for internal use or investor updates.

Client’s Needs

The founders were looking for a way to monitor company spending and runway in real time, without hiring a finance department or relying on expensive external accounting services. They required top AI developers to build an internal system that would automatically process CSV files from their banking tools. The system also had to sort expenses into clear, customizable categories and create easy-to-export financial summaries to support faster decision-making.

Key requirements

To deliver business value, the product had to:

- Support CSV uploads from banking platforms and accounting tools

- Automatically categorize transactions via artificial intelligence

- Allow users to create, rename, and refine categories

- Work natively inside the startup’s admin dashboard

- Offer reports in CSV and PDF formats

- Ensure privacy and accuracy in every processing step

What did we do?

AI Development & Categorization Logic

We used OpenAI’s API combined with custom logic in Python to build a lightweight machine learning layer. It classified transactions based on context, merchant data, and semantic cues.

For example, purchases from SaaS vendors were labelled as “Tools,” while payroll-related transactions were grouped as “Employee Costs.” The AI system also learned from manual corrections, improving accuracy over time.

Frontend: Dashboard in React

Our frontend team built an intuitive React-based interface. Users could drag-and-drop CSVs, edit categories inline, view summaries in real time, and export structured reports.

The dashboard also included visual breakdowns by category, month-to-month comparisons, and a quick view of top spending areas, helping the founding team stay lean and informed.

Backend & Integration

The backend was powered by FastAPI and Python. We applied our expertise in artificial intelligence software development to ensure the system was modular, secure, and ready for real-time AI-powered processing. It handled uploads, triggered AI classification, and stored results securely. We implemented a modular system to make future integration with APIs (like Xero or Revolut) simple when needed.

Business Impact

The startup received a fully functional AI-powered financial analysis tool integrated into their internal dashboard. Built with artificial intelligence software development best practices, it reduced financial admin time up to 70% and replaced manual spreadsheets with dynamic and shareable insights.

The founders can now track their burn rate and financial health in real time without hiring a finance team. Custom categories gave them control over how spending was measured, and the AI continued to improve as more data was uploaded.

With smart automation and flexible setup, they could prepare investor updates faster and make real-time spending decisions.

The categorization engine became a backbone of the startup’s internal finance stack and a foundation for future product development in the FinTech analytics.