Campaign groups rail against Palantir, but the UK contracts keep coming
TL;DR
Palantir has secured a new contract with the UK's Financial Conduct Authority, gaining access to sensitive financial data from a sector representing 9% of the British economy.
Key Points
- The Miami-based company is already deeply embedded in the British state: NHS (2023), police (2024), military (2025) – now financial services.
- Total UK government contracts now exceed £500 million.
- Despite persistent criticism from campaign groups over privacy and transparency concerns, Palantir's expansion continues unchecked.
Nauti's Take
£500 million, four sectors in three years – that is not a partnership, it is a slow-motion takeover. Campaign groups can protest as loudly as they like: as long as contracts keep getting signed, nothing changes.
The FCA access is particularly striking – a regulator designed to oversee markets is now handing a US company with deep military roots a window into financial data across an entire industry. The real question nobody is asking out loud: who actually watches Palantir?
Context
The FCA deal is not an isolated incident but the next step in a systematic 'land and expand' strategy. Palantir is methodically penetrating sector after sector of the British state, creating dependencies that are politically difficult to reverse. Whoever provides the infrastructure for financial surveillance today sits at one of the country's most sensitive data junctions tomorrow – with corresponding influence over regulatory decisions.
Sources