Anthropic plans to deepen its relationship with Commonwealth Bank as it opens its first Australian office in Sydney this week.
The US AI giant, which offers the Claude tool, will officially open the office this week.
To lead this endeavour, it has hired Theo Hourmouzis as general manager of Australia and New Zealand. He joins from Snowflake, where he most recently served as senior vice president for Australia, New Zealand and ASEAN.
At Anthropic, he will lead the growing local team and shape a strategy built around Australian and New Zealand customers. This team will work to deepen relationships with firms including Commonwealth Bank (CBA), data analytics firm Quantium and Xero.
CBA announced last year that it was working with Anthropic to leverage AI capabilities and expertise in safety and AI practices to help accelerate adoption of AI to support its people and transform customer experiences.
Hourmouzis said: “Organisations across Australia and New Zealand are thinking carefully about how to adopt AI, and they want partners who take safety and rigor as seriously as they take the opportunity.
“That’s what drew me to Anthropic. I’ve spent my career working with businesses and governments across this region, and the organizations that do best with AI will be the ones that pair ambition with discipline.”
Chris Ciauri, Anthropic managing director of international, said: “Theo’s appointment reflects the conviction we share with the Australian government that AI can drive economic growth when it’s developed and deployed responsibly.
“He’s spent decades helping organisations adopt new technology, and he’ll build the team and partnerships we need to support our customers across Australia and New Zealand for the long term.”
The Sydney office, which was flagged last month, follows its recent office openings in Tokyo and Bengaluru.
The US AI giant’s updated earlier this month that its revenue rate had now topped US$30 billion ($43 billion), up from US$9 billion at the end of 2025. With demand for its Claude services accelerating, Anthropic said over 1,000 businesses are now spending over US$1 million on an annual basis.
Alongside CBA, Anthropic has also announced collaborations with Australian software firms Canva and Xero, with the latter widely viewed as a sign that the software sell-off is moving into an “integration phase” marked by partnership with the AI giants. It is also working with local non-profit organisations, including YMCA.
Anthropic’s expansion in Australia follows recent Asia-Pacific office openings, including Tokyo and Bengaluru, with Seoul also planned.
It also comes as it prepares for a potential IPO later this year, which is expected to be one of the largest ever. Nasdaq’s new fast-entry rule means that listings of this size could see it enter the index just 15 trading days after listing.
Meanwhile, Anthropic’s main rival and ChatGPT maker, OpenAI, is also preparing for an IPO, with the two firms engaged in an “arms race” over valuation metrics, including claims from OpenAI that Anthropic has overstated its revenue figures.
OpenAI is currently valued at about US$852 billion following a recent record funding round, while Anthropic is valued at roughly US$380 billion.
Investor Daily has contacted CBA for further comment on its plans to deepen its relationship with Anthropic.
