Nigel, our Smart Data AI agent, has been named a runner-up in the Smart Data Challenge Prize.
The programme gave us the opportunity to demonstrate how Nigel can help people save money, reduce stress, and build financial resilience by turning scattered paperwork into simple, timely actions.
Nigel SDC Innovators Insight Video By The ODI and The Department For Business And Trade
Across the UK, people find it difficult to keep on top of routine personal admin.
Personal information is often spread across portals, apps, email inboxes, and paper records.
Important documents such as bank statements, insurance policies, and energy bills can easily become lost or overlooked, leading to missed renewal dates, missed savings, and higher household costs.
The Smart Data Challenge Prize explores how regulated, consent-based data sharing can make this easier.
Backed by the UK Government and delivered by Challenge Works with Smart Data Foundry, NayaOne, and the Open Data Institute, the programme supports products that safely connect data across sectors such as banking, energy, insurance, property, and utilities.
Eleven finalist teams were selected, including Nigel. Each received funding and access to a secure Smart Data Sandbox that simulated a full year of life for thousands of households and small businesses.
Nigel - short for “Now I’ve Got Everything Labelled” - is a practical example of how Smart Data can support households, including those who are digitally underconfident.
Nigel brings information together in one secure place, then turns it into clear, actionable steps.
Nigel provides a private space to store and organise administrative documents from any sector. Information can be:
Once added, documents are standardised so they can be used and compared together.
Nigel uses AI-powered Smart Skills to help people stay organised. With permission, Nigel can:
Importantly, Nigel is sector agnostic. It can compare insurance with MOT records, review home cover using EPC or Land Registry information, or check energy usage against available tariffs. This cross-sector capability is what distinguishes Nigel from single-sector tools.
Nigel also supports vulnerable users. It includes shared-access features so trusted third parties can help with administrative tasks, and educational summaries developed with the financial education charity Money Ready.
After demonstrating its prototype in the Smart Data Sandbox, Nigel was named one of two runner-ups from the eleven finalist teams.
The prize highlighted Nigel’s potential to:
The award confirms Nigel’s alignment with the direction of Smart Data policy, as well as broader aims around inclusion and consumer protection.
Nigel was developed with national priorities in mind. Our finalist submission showed how Nigel can:
Nigel’s sector-agnostic model means it can complement initiatives across financial services, energy, pensions, and public services, supporting work led by regulators such as the FCA, Ofgem, and the ICO.
The runner-up award provides both funding and validation to accelerate Nigel’s development.
As Smart Data standards evolve, Nigel is well positioned to become one of the first practical tools that helps households benefit from their own administrative data in a safe, simple, and trusted way.
We are grateful to Challenge Works, Smart Data Foundry, NayaOne, the Open Data Institute, and the Department for Business and Trade for their guidance and support.
Smart Data Challenge Prize, Challenge Works, 2025
Smart Data Foundry, Smart Data Foundry, 2025
NayaOne, NayaOne, 2025
Open Data Institute, ODI, 2025
Money Ready, Money Ready, 2025
Sam Kendall, 01.12.25