JPMorgan has restricted access to Anthropic’s Claude AI model for its employees in Hong Kong. The restriction is due to language in Anthropic’s licensing agreement that governs where the models can be used. This development follows a similar decision by Goldman Sachs earlier this year.
Background
The Financial Times reported that JPMorgan Chase employees in Hong Kong can no longer select Anthropic’s Claude models from the bank’s internal list of approved large language models. Three people familiar with the matter stated that the restriction stems from Anthropic’s licensing terms. Anthropic has not issued an official statement, but the company has previously stated that Claude was never officially supported in Hong Kong.
Industry Implications
Western AI companies have generally restricted direct access to their most advanced models in mainland China. OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude are unavailable there due to a combination of company policies and China’s internet controls. The access limitations at major financial institutions have renewed concerns about Hong Kong’s ability to remain competitive as AI tools become more deeply integrated into software development, research, and financial services workflows.
Regulatory Environment
Anthropic’s approach to geographic restrictions comes as U.S. AI companies face increasing scrutiny over how advanced models are used outside the United States. Industry observers and policymakers have expressed concerns that foreign users could employ frontier systems to accelerate domestic AI development. The banking restrictions arrive less than a week after Anthropic suspended access to its newly released Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models due to a U.S. government export-control directive.
Based on reporting from crypto.news.