OpenAI gives Japan banks access to latest model, Japan's finance minister says - Reuters

Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama announced that OpenAI has provided some Japanese financial institutions with access to its GPT-5.5 model to assist in preventing cyberattacks. The announcement followed a meeting between Katayama and OpenAI's chief strategy officer, according to a Reuters report published on May 29, 2026. The specific institutions granted access were not named, nor were the exact terms of the access disclosed.

The move targets the growing threat of cyberattacks on Japan's financial sector, which has faced increased attention from both domestic regulators and international cybersecurity firms. GPT-5.5 is OpenAI's latest model, representing an upgrade over previous versions. The finance minister's office did not provide a timeline for the deployment or details on how the model would integrate with existing security systems. OpenAI also did not issue a separate statement beyond the minister's remarks.

This development occurs amid broader discussions about the role of AI in critical infrastructure security. Japan has been actively exploring AI applications in finance, including fraud detection and risk assessment. The partnership with OpenAI marks one of the first known instances of a national finance ministry publicly endorsing a specific AI model for cybersecurity use in the banking sector. Analysts suggest the arrangement could influence other governments considering similar collaborations, though questions remain about data privacy and model reliability in high-stakes environments.