UK Financial Education Consumer Report 2026
Economic pressures, AI‑enabled scams, and reliance on unregulated advice are reshaping consumer risk in the UK.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for financial education
- Opportunities
- Sell aspirational outcomes and embed the learning
- Offer accessible expertise to savers making the move to investment
- Put confidence at the heart of women’s financial education
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THE MARKET
- Economic concerns fuel consumer anxiety
- Graph 1: CPI and average wage rises, 2021-25
- Education is the anchor consumers need in uncertain times
- Financial inclusion strategy puts education front and centre
- Growing consumer investing becomes a national priority
- Building financial capability calls for collective action
- New rules leave banks carrying the fraud bill
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THE CONSUMER
- Financial literacy
- Consumers exaggerate their own financial knowledge…
- …with this overconfidence undermining financial resilience
- Position education as the gateway to financial success
- Financial knowledge alone does not guarantee financial wellbeing
- Education must go beyond literacy to foster true capability
- Demand for Financial Education
- Consumers rely on the industry to build their financial understanding
- A wide range of sources may complicate learning rather than support it
- Graph 2: sources of financial education, 2025
- Highlight the risks involved with following unregulated financial advice
- Utilise familiar learning formats to build trust
- Graph 3: preferred means of accessing financial education, 2025
- Existing resources fail to meet consumer demands
- Consumers prioritise education that builds financial strength
- Prioritise long-term security over short-term needs
- Demographic divides
- Gender stereotypes continue to undermine financial confidence
- Empower the rising financial ambition of young women
- AI tools could hinder motivation to learn
- Boost men’s engagement with video-first learning
- Fill the support gap experienced by Gen X
- Transform Gen Z’s risky behaviours into confident financial decisions
- Socio-economic barriers
- Financial wellbeing feels out of reach for disadvantaged groups
- Use relatable voices to turn apathy into action
- Relieve short‑term stress to unlock future progress
- Shift from surviving to thriving with embedded education
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Gamification brings financial education to life
- Print media holds its ground as the trusted foundation of learning
- Government initiatives inspire wider industry action
- Firms step up to tackle the gender investing gap
- Ross Kemp calls on the nation to flex their financial muscles
- NatWest goes social-first to spotlight its learning resources
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APPENDIX
- Report scope and definitions
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Abbreviations
- Abbreviations and terms
"Economic challenges and the prevalence of unregulated advice are increasing risks for consumers. Providers must deliver clear, trustworthy, and empowering education to protect wellbeing."
Katie Owens-Davies, Financial Services Analyst
UK Financial Education – Consumer Trends and Insights
- Economic pressures, AI‑enabled scams, and reliance on unregulated advice are reshaping consumer risk in the UK. As more consumers fall victim to fraud and fall behind on payments, the limits of today’s financial education are being exposed. In a landscape this complex, financial wellbeing can only be achieved when people have the capability to act with confidence.
- While 70% of consumers feel positive about their financial knowledge, only 19% can confidently explain common terms. This gap between perceived ability and true literacy forms the challenge for providers. Many consumers are making decisions based on low understanding or false knowledge, potentially increasing financial vulnerabilities.
- This is why financial education has never been more critical. Not as a box‑ticking exercise or a glossary of terms, but as a practical, modern system that builds literacy, develops capability, and ultimately unlocks financial wellbeing. As government reform accelerates, regulatory expectations rise, and consumers demand more trustworthy guidance. Providers must move financial education from the sidelines into the mainstream, and give people the confidence and control they need to thrive.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- How macro‑economic pressures and evolving regulation are shaping the need for financial education in the UK
- The difference between consumers’ self-determined financial ability and assessed levels of financial literacy, and the impact this has on marketing
- What consumers want from financial education, including preferred formats, trusted sources, and the topics they value most
- How interest in financial education and its delivery differ across demographics, and the reasons behind these variations
- The influence of socio‑economic status on financial literacy, confidence, and engagement with financial education
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