Supported banks and file formats

keel imports your transactions from the statement files your bank already gives you — CSV exports and PDF statements. Most UK banks are recognised the moment you upload, and for anything keel doesn't recognise, a simple column-mapping screen gets you imported anyway.

How it works

CSV statements — 17 formats detected automatically

keel recognises CSV exports from these UK banks by their column headers, so the file imports with no setup:

• Barclays (personal and business)
• HSBC (personal and Premier)
• NatWest
• RBS
• Lloyds
• Halifax
• Bank of Scotland
• Santander
• American Express
• Monzo
• Starling
• First Direct
• TSB
• Nationwide
• Revolut

Detection is tolerant of extra columns, so if your export includes additional fields keel still recognises it. Banks that use separate debit and credit columns (Lloyds, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, TSB, Nationwide) are handled automatically, as is Amex's inverted sign convention where a positive number means a charge.

PDF statements

PDF statements are read using AI: HSBC, Amex, Halifax and Monzo are supported, with more banks added over time. Extraction starts as soon as the file is uploaded, and for most PDFs keel reads the bank name from inside the statement and picks the matching account for you.

PDFs also carry useful metadata. When a statement shows a statement date or billing cycle day, keel records it on the account, and interest rates (APR for credit cards, AER for savings) are updated from the latest statement.

Long multi-page PDFs are retried automatically with more room if the first read runs out of space. If a few rows still can't be read, the import summary says so honestly rather than quietly dropping them.

Unrecognised CSVs — the column mapping screen

If your bank's CSV isn't on the list, you can still import. keel shows a mapping screen where you answer "which column is your date?" rather than wrestling with your bank's naming:

• Map your file's columns to Date, Merchant and Amount — the three required fields. Reference and Notes are optional.
• If your bank exports a balance column, an optional Account balance field lets keel capture your running balance row by row.
• A live preview shows the first three rows of your file mapped to keel's fields, updating as you change each dropdown — so you can see it's right before importing.
• keel remembers the mapping. With "Remember this mapping" on (the default), future uploads from the same bank import instantly with no mapping step.

Good to know

• You can mix CSV and PDF files in one import session — up to 10 files, each assigned to a different account.
• Re-uploading the same file won't create duplicates. See Duplicate transactions.
• Saved column mappings are keyed to the file's column layout, so a mapping for one bank never interferes with another.

FAQ

My bank isn't listed — can I still use keel? Yes. Export a CSV from your online banking and use the column mapping screen. You only map it once.

My bank only offers PDF statements and isn't on the PDF list — what happens? Try it — extraction may still work, since the AI reads the statement rather than relying on a fixed template. If rows can't be read, the import summary tells you exactly how many.

Does keel connect directly to my bank? Not yet. keel works from the statement files you upload, which means no bank connection setup and no third-party access to your accounts. Open Banking support is planned.

My bank changed its export format and detection stopped working — what do I do? The column mapping screen appears whenever a file isn't recognised. Map it once and keel remembers the new layout.