Evaluation Scotland Wales
The UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing is taking forward the work of the Financial Capability Strategy Opens in a new window

Financial services

Financial services

22% of people could not read the balance on a bank statement
41% of adults do not know their current account balance within £50
1 in 6 people are over indebted

Money is a hot topic these days – who has it, who doesn’t, and how the financial choices we all make today will impact not only our own future, but the future economy of the UK.

Having control over personal financial affairs means individuals are more able to access employment, are protected against unexpected events, enjoy better physical and mental health and can save for the future.

Facts and challenges

  • 12 million people aren’t saving enough for their retirement
  • 27 million don’t have a sufficient savings buffer to allow them to cope with a significant income shock
  • Only half of people with families have any life cover
  • Many UK adults don’t have the resilience to deal with day to day events
  • 21 million don’t have a modest £500 savings buffer to replace a fridge or have the car mended
  • 19 million don’t have an approach to budgeting that they feel works and too many are in financial difficulties
  • Around 8 million have problems with debt - of those, just one in six is seeking help

What are the benefits of financial capability for financial services?

Technology has revolutionised the way people manage their money, and the responsibility for financial decisions is increasingly shifting towards the individual. However, People need help to make the choices that are right for them, and to understand the consequences of the choices they are making.

With the necessary knowledge, people will be able to better understand financial products, the risks associated with them and be in a better place to make sound, long-term financial decisions and avoid falling victim to scams.

If people are more financially capable they make better financial decisions and choose the correct financial products for their needs.

In turn, this means there will be fewer calls to regulators about mis-selling, lower default rates on debts and greater confidence in financial services, as consumers engage more with providers, also helping them to develop new products.

Greater financial confidence will also encourage people to think further ahead and set your goals and plans for the future.

How can this site help?

  • Increase your knowledge about your customer’s needs through our insight research;
  • Provide data to support the business case for introducing financial capability programs into your organisation from our research
  • Information on how to start your own evaluation with guidance and templates in our Evolution Toolkit
  • Learn more about what interventions work for organisations from our What Works Fund projects
  • Use our Research to identify gaps and inform product and market research.
  • An opportunity to provide thought leadership on financial capability topics in the Steering Groups
  • Engage with the wider financial capability community and build collective impact through the FinCap Community forum
  • Use the evidence from our Evidence Hubopens in new window to inform your own financial capability projects.