Five big Canadian banks block personal AI agents

The Canadian Press reported that Canada’s largest banks are shutting out AI agents, programs that act for their customers online. Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) said it has blocked third-party personal AI agents from direct access to online banking, and customers’ existing connections will stop working. Global News similarly reported that TD, BMO, Scotiabank and CIBC say they have blocked or limited the agents. National Bank has not announced a block but said it is monitoring the new tools.

Giving a service, like an AI agent, your banking login is often called screen scraping. The federal government says that about nine million Canadians use data-sharing services this way, and calls the practice unregulated and insecure.

The practice can also cost fraud cover. RBC’s Digital Banking Security Guarantee fully protects customers against eligible digital transactions they did not make or approve. But the bank has said it will not reimburse losses if the customer has shared passwords or personal verification questions. A banking-industry source cited by Axios said such transactions cannot be deemed unauthorized if the customer shared credentials, which would include those made by an AI agent using the customer’s login.

American Banker reported that five of the largest US banks, including JPMorganChase and Citi, also block external AI agents.

A decade ago, some banks blocked the first screen-scraping apps, such as Plaid and Mint, then later signed data-sharing agreements. American Banker suggested the same could happen with AI agents.

Ottawa’s Consumer-Driven Banking Act, which received royal assent in March 2026, sets up a framework for people to share their banking data with accredited providers. It includes a ban on screen scraping, but the ban is not yet in force: the Department of Finance says it will first consult on the timing. The regulations needed to start the framework were proposed in June, and its first phase allows read-only access to data. Money.ca reported that responsibility for losses involving AI agents remains unclear.

Correction, October 29: an earlier version of this story said the Consumer-Driven Banking Act prohibits screen scraping. The Act includes a ban, but it is not yet in force.

Sources: BNN Bloomberg · Royal Bank of Canada · Global News · Canada Gazette (Government of Canada) · American Banker · Money.ca