Anthropic on Tuesday unveiled a research preview of its latest experiment in agentic AI: a browser-based assistant powered by its Claude models.

Branded Claude for Chrome, the extension is rolling out first to a group of 1,000 subscribers on Anthropic’s Max plan, which costs between $100 and $200 per month. A waitlist has also opened for other users eager to test the new system.

According to TechCrunch, the tool is designed to maintain awareness of everything happening in a user’s browser session by embedding Claude directly into Chrome through a sidecar window. Beyond contextual chat, users can grant Claude permission to act on their behalf—taking over tasks that traditionally require manual clicks or inputs. The system is pitched as a step toward seamless integration, where AI does not just advise but executes.

The Browser as the Next AI Battleground

Anthropic’s announcement underscores how quickly the web browser has emerged as a high-stakes battleground for AI labs. Perplexity, a rising competitor, recently launched Comet, a full AI-powered browser that integrates an agent capable of automating browsing tasks. OpenAI is also reported to be developing an AI-native browser, expected to carry similarities to Comet’s approach, while Google has already woven Gemini integrations into Chrome in recent months.

The timing is crucial because Google’s dominant position in the browser market is under immediate threat from a looming U.S. antitrust decision. A federal judge has hinted that the case may culminate in a forced divestiture of Chrome—a move that could completely reshape the competitive landscape. Already, Perplexity has floated an unsolicited $34.5 billion offer for Chrome, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman has publicly indicated his interest in acquiring the browser if it were put on the market. If Chrome were spun off, control of the world’s most widely used browser could fall to one of the very AI labs now racing to define its future.

Safety Risks in Agentic Browsing

Anthropic’s announcement was not just about capability but also caution. The company stressed that giving AI agents browser-level control carries new safety risks. Just last week, Brave’s security team highlighted that Comet’s browser agent was susceptible to indirect prompt-injection attacks—a form of exploit where hidden instructions on a webpage trick the AI into carrying out malicious tasks.

Perplexity has since patched the vulnerability, according to its head of communications, Jesse Dwyer. But the incident highlights why Anthropic is framing its Chrome integration as a “research preview” aimed at identifying and neutralizing such novel risks before wider release.

To that end, Anthropic disclosed that it has already rolled out layered defenses against prompt injections. Internal testing shows that these interventions cut the success rate of such attacks nearly in half, from 23.6% to 11.2%.

Additional safeguards include restricting Claude’s agent from accessing certain categories of websites—such as financial services, adult content, and piracy hubs—by default. Users also retain granular control over permissions, with Claude explicitly required to ask before performing high-risk actions like publishing online, making purchases, or sharing personal data.

The Road to Agentic AI

Claude for Chrome is not Anthropic’s first venture into agentic AI. In October 2024, the company launched a desktop-focused agent capable of controlling a PC. However, those early attempts were marred by sluggish performance and inconsistent reliability.

Since then, the field has progressed rapidly. TechCrunch did a test of newer entrants, such as Perplexity’s Comet and OpenAI’s experimental ChatGPT Agent, which suggests that browser-based agents are now reasonably effective at offloading simple, repetitive tasks. Complex, multi-step workflows, however, continue to challenge current models.

The iterative leap from chatbots that only answer questions to autonomous systems capable of navigating the web on a user’s behalf represents both the promise and peril of agentic AI. It hints at a future where browsing itself could become less about clicking and typing, and more about delegating.

A Shifting Browser Economy

The broader context is that the web browser has remained one of the most valuable gateways to user activity since its inception. Whoever controls the browsing experience controls not only access to information but also the point of transaction for ads, commerce, and digital services. For decades, Google has leveraged Chrome to anchor its dominance in search and online advertising.

Now, AI labs see the browser as a natural arena to extend their reach. Companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Perplexity can move closer to being ever-present copilots in users’ digital lives by integrating AI agents directly into the browsing layer. The outcome of Google’s antitrust battle may accelerate this transition dramatically.

Anthropic’s careful rollout of Claude for Chrome highlights a two-sided race: one for capability and one for trust. On one hand, the competition is about which AI lab can build the most seamless, powerful, and reliable browsing agent. On the other hand, it is about demonstrating security and safety in a domain where the risks of abuse—from fraud to surveillance—are high.

As Anthropic refines Claude’s browser presence and rivals push forward their own AI-integrated browsing visions, the sector edges closer to a tipping point. If browsers truly become intelligent, action-taking agents, they will not only change how people interact with the web but also who ultimately governs access to it.

To turn your customers into fans, and create a fandom in your market, demonstrate these four characteristics of enduring category-king companies:

• Be perceptively innovative.
• Be evidently inspiring.
• Be ruthlessly pragmatic.
• Be customer obsessed.

In our two core equations of markets, the above four attributes are needed to analogously balance them:

• (1)  Innovation =: Invention + Commercialization
• (2)  Great Company =: awesome products + superior execution

Tekedia Mini-MBA >> our own product is KNOWLEDGE, and we balance our equations!

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued a sweeping directive compelling all financial institutions and payment operators in the country to complete migration to the ISO 20022 global messaging standard and implement mandatory geo-tagging of payment terminals by October 31, 2025.

In a circular dated August 25 and signed by Dr. Rakiya O. Yusuf, Director of the Payments System Supervision Department, the apex bank stressed that the reforms are crucial to strengthening Nigeria’s financial infrastructure, aligning the country with international benchmarks, and improving transparency in electronic transactions.

The directive, published on the CBN’s official website on Tuesday, applies to Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), Microfinance Banks (MFBs), Mobile Money Operators (MMOs), Switching and Processing Companies, Payment Terminal Service Providers (PTSPs), Payment Solution Service Providers (PSSPs), Super Agents, and all other licensed players in the payments ecosystem.

ISO 20022: Global Standard, Local Mandate

The CBN said the adoption of ISO 20022, now the global benchmark for payments messaging, is consistent with SWIFT’s global migration timeline.

“All payment transaction messages exchanged domestically or internationally must be formatted in ISO 20022 in line with CBN and SWIFT specifications,” the circular stated.

Institutions are expected to populate mandatory data fields accurately, including payer and payee identifiers, merchant and agent identifiers, and transaction metadata. The regulator underscored that compliance is not optional, warning that migration activities must be fully completed before the October 31 deadline.

ISO 20022 replaces legacy messaging formats with a data-rich framework that provides greater clarity and reliability. Instead of terse transaction codes, the standard allows detailed information such as purpose codes, remittance details, and identifiers, thereby reducing errors, enhancing fraud detection, and making regulatory oversight more effective.

Mandatory Geo-Tagging of Terminals

In addition to messaging reforms, the CBN rolled out a significant requirement for geo-tagging of payment terminals such as PoS devices.

According to the directive:

• All existing and new terminals must have native geolocation services enabled, supported by double-frequency GPS receivers.
• Terminals must be registered with a Payment Terminal Service Aggregator (PTSA) and tied to precise latitude and longitude coordinates of the merchant’s physical business location.
• Android OS version 10 or higher is now the minimum requirement to ensure compatibility with the National Central Switch’s geolocation monitoring system.
• Terminals not routed through a PTSA will be barred from transacting.
• Geo-location data must be captured at the point of transaction and embedded in the message payload as a mandatory reporting field.

The apex bank further directed that all existing terminals must be geo-tagged within 60 days of the circular, while new terminals must be geo-tagged before certification and activation. Compliance validation exercises are set to commence from October 20, 2025.

The CBN aims to curb fraud, prevent unauthorized relocation of devices, and strengthen confidence in digital transactions by linking terminals to their exact deployment points. Geo-tagging also enables regulators to identify underserved regions and guide policies for financial inclusion.

Why It Matters

Experts say the reforms represent one of the most ambitious overhauls of Nigeria’s payments ecosystem in years. The ISO 20022 migration aligns the country with global financial standards, enhancing cross-border payment efficiency while tightening domestic oversight.

The mandatory geo-tagging of payment terminals is expected to reduce rampant fraud involving mobile PoS machines and strengthen transaction integrity. Analysts also point out that by tracking deployment, the CBN could use the data to address gaps in payment penetration across rural and semi-urban areas.

Challenges Ahead

Despite the clear benefits, the directive may pose challenges for smaller operators. Many microfinance banks and small PTSPs could struggle with the cost of upgrading devices to Android 10 and equipping them with advanced GPS technology.

Some analysts warn that without adequate support, smaller firms risk being forced out of the market. They note that while this reform will certainly improve the payments space, the cost implications may hit smaller players harder, potentially leading to consolidation in the industry.

Nigeria’s payment system has grown exponentially over the past decade, with PoS transactions, mobile money services, and online payments surging as cash use declines. But fraud, weak oversight, and uneven infrastructure deployment have plagued the sector.

The CBN’s reforms, by insisting on data standardization (ISO 20022) and location traceability (geo-tagging), aim to plug these gaps, protect consumers, and put Nigeria on par with advanced financial markets.

If fully implemented, the measures could reshape not just compliance but also competition in the industry, rewarding operators who can swiftly adapt and raising the bar for customer trust and transaction security.

President Donald Trump’s announcement on Monday that he had fired Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook has triggered an immediate legal and political storm, setting up what could become the most consequential battle over the independence of the U.S. central bank in more than a century.

In a termination letter posted on his Truth Social account, Trump accused Cook of committing mortgage fraud, citing allegations first made by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. Trump alleged that Cook signed documents for properties in Michigan and Georgia in 2021, each time declaring them to be her primary residence.

“It is inconceivable,” Trump wrote, “that you were not aware of your first commitment when making the second.”

“There is sufficient reason to believe you have made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements,” Trump added, calling her actions “deceitful and potentially criminal conduct” that undermines her competence as a financial regulator.

The Justice Department confirmed last week it was reviewing Pulte’s referral, though Cook has not been charged with any crime.

Cook Pushes Back

Cook, who in 2022 became the first Black woman to serve on the Fed’s Board of Governors after being nominated by then-President Joe Biden, rejected Trump’s action outright.

“President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so,” Cook said in a statement Monday. “I will not resign. I will continue to carry out my duties to help the American economy as I have been doing since 2022.”

Cook has retained the prominent Washington attorney Abbe Lowell, who recently launched a new firm specializing in defending government officials targeted by the Trump administration. Lowell, whose clients include Hunter Biden and New York Attorney General Letitia James, called Trump’s move baseless.

“President Trump has taken to social media to once again ‘fire by tweet,’ and once again his reflex to bully is flawed and his demands lack any proper process, basis or legal authority,” Lowell said. “We will take whatever actions are needed to prevent his attempted illegal action.”

Lowell added that Cook’s termination was “based solely on a referral letter” and would be challenged in court.

A Legal and Political Showdown

The confrontation raises profound constitutional and economic questions. Under the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, presidents may only remove governors “for cause.” Historically, this phrase has been interpreted narrowly to mean malfeasance, neglect of duty, or inability to serve — not simply political disagreement.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, has condemned Trump’s action.

“The illegal attempt to fire Lisa Cook is the latest example of a desperate President searching for a scapegoat to cover for his own failure to lower costs for Americans,” Warren said. “It’s an authoritarian power grab that blatantly violates the Federal Reserve Act, and must be overturned in court.”

Edward Mills, managing director at Raymond James, warned of market implications. “This marks an unprecedented moment for both the Fed and the White House, signaling a campaign to exert direct influence over monetary policy decisions. Markets are likely to view this attack on Fed independence negatively, amplifying uncertainty over future policy direction,” he said.

Trump’s Battle With the Fed

Trump’s decision to target Cook did not come out of nowhere. Since returning to the White House in January, he has clashed openly with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, pressuring him to slash interest rates despite the central bank’s cautious approach.

On July 15, Trump asked a group of Republican lawmakers whether he should fire Powell, with several agreeing he should. Though he later denied any immediate plan, Trump left the door open, saying Powell could face dismissal if allegations of fraud surfaced.

Powell himself, appointed by Trump in 2017, has faced attacks from the president before. During Trump’s first term, he repeatedly berated Powell for raising interest rates, calling him a “bonehead” and even likening him to “an enemy” of the United States.

Historical Clashes Between Presidents and the Fed

The conflict between presidents and the Federal Reserve has deep roots. Though the Fed was designed as an independent body insulated from politics, presidents have often tried to exert influence over its decisions.

• Franklin D. Roosevelt leaned on the Fed during the Great Depression to support New Deal policies and debt financing for World War II.
• Richard Nixon privately pressured Fed Chair Arthur Burns to keep interest rates low before the 1972 election, a move many economists later blamed for fueling runaway inflation in the 1970s.
• Ronald Reagan clashed with then-Fed Chair Paul Volcker, who raised rates aggressively to tame inflation. Volcker resisted political pressure but was replaced by Alan Greenspan, who was seen as more accommodating.
• Barack Obama faced criticism from Republicans who accused the Fed under Ben Bernanke of enabling “easy money” policies that inflated asset bubbles, though he refrained from direct confrontation.

What sets Trump apart is not just the intensity of his pressure campaign but his willingness to test the legal boundaries of presidential authority over the Fed by attempting to remove a sitting governor.

Stakes for the Fed’s Independence

If Trump’s action against Cook is upheld, he would be able to nominate her replacement. Alongside his pending nominee, Stephen Miran — tapped to replace the recently resigned Adriana Kugler — Trump could tilt the seven-member board toward a 4-to-3 majority of appointees loyal to his agenda.

Two governors, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, were already appointed by Trump during his first term. With Powell also a Trump nominee, the president could exert significant influence over monetary policy decisions, including the pace of interest rate cuts.

The implications for financial markets are far-reaching. Already, the ICE U.S. Dollar Index dropped 0.3% following Trump’s announcement, while the 2-year Treasury yield dipped 4 basis points. Stock futures weakened in overnight trading, and gold prices climbed 0.3% as investors sought safe assets.

Now, the courts will need to determine whether allegations of mortgage misrepresentation constitute sufficient “cause” for dismissal under the 1913 statute. If Trump prevails, he could gain extraordinary leverage over the central bank at a moment when global investors are scrutinizing U.S. economic stability.

If he fails, the attempt may backfire, strengthening the Fed’s institutional independence and setting a precedent that insulates its governors from future presidential intervention.