Browse all articles across people aspects of regulation and people development within UK financial services
AI can make professional study easier, but candidates still need retrieval practice, technical understanding and the judgement to apply knowledge under pressure.
Whether agentic AI crosses the UK regulatory perimeter depends on what it does, how personalised its output is and whether it recommends or acts.
The FCA’s David Geale said it in three words. Individuals in financial services firms are “on the hook” for harm caused to consumers through AI. That line sits in the Treasury Committee’s January 2026 report.
Most firms I speak to are dealing with a similar set of pressures: the need to improve productivity, attract and retain talent, strengthen engagement, and manage rising cost pressures, all while being asked to do more with less.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a future concept in financial services; it is already embedded in how firms research, communicate, monitor risk, and support clients.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 has been widely framed as a compliance burden. But for financial services firms with genuine cultural ambitions, it may be one of the most strategically useful pieces of legislation in years. Here is the case for the optimists.
Back in 2014, I wrote a chapter for a book about the future of Learning and Development. Someone told me recently it turned out to be “scarily accurate,” which is both flattering and worrying in equal measure. So, let me have another go and predict the next ten years.
On looking at my client bank, I have been doing a lot of work dealing with firms selling their business or mortgage firms losing their positions on lender panels. One of the firms has spent the last three months arranging for the business owners to retire by selling their business to a larger firm.
The Operational Case for Business Continuity and the Power of a Business Operations Executor™ At some point every week, almost every business owner says the same thing: “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” A staff absence. A breakdown in a process. A troublesome client. A system issue. A sudden change in circumstances.
Over the past few weeks, I joined senior leaders from across the UK Finance membership to discuss one of the most pressing issues facing our industry: attracting, developing, and retaining talent. These conversations focused not on technical skills or P&L statements, but on culture, trust, and the evolving expectations of today’s workforce.
The mortgage market is changing fast. FCA reforms are rewriting the rules, and technology is reshaping the way we borrow. Here’s what it means for advisers and borrowers alike. Over a roast dinner last weekend, the conversation turned to housing — a familiar family debate.
‘We want to help consumers navigate their financial lives and plan for the long term. Some of the most difficult financial decisions we face are how to save, invest and prepare for a comfortable retirement. These once-in-a-generation reforms will help people navigate their financial lives and give them greater confidence to invest.
