Microsoft expands Copilot with finance automation, live data connectors and usage‑based billing

Microsoft has added a suite of new capabilities to its Copilot AI across Microsoft 365. The Copilot Cowork feature acts as an “agentic” coworker that can plan and execute multi‑step tasks inside the tenant, but it introduces a usage‑based billing model called Copilot Credits priced at roughly $0.01 per credit. Administrators must set policies and spending caps before the frontier grace period ends on 1 July 2026.

In Excel, Copilot now supports reusable “Skills” that automate repeatable finance workflows such as building DCF models or variance analysis, and it can pull live market data directly from six providers—CB Insights, Daloopa, FactSet, Morningstar, PitchBook and S&P Global—via new connectors. A “Plan with Copilot” mode records every edit for full traceability.

Additional updates include Copilot Pages and the Researcher Agent, which let users generate customized research outputs and integrate them into notebooks and PowerPoint. The enhancements aim to streamline finance and research work while giving enterprises tighter control over AI actions and costs.