The campaign, called 'Invest For The Future', is coordinated by the Investment Association and funded by the industry, according to reports. It has support from the Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority, and the Money and Pensions Service, though the specific financial services firms backing it have not been disclosed. The total budget for the campaign and its exact funding sources remain unclear. This effort follows the Chancellor's Leeds Reforms, which set the stage for the campaign's unveiling last July.
Research highlights the UK's investment gap, with the country having the lowest level of retail investment of any G7 nation. A survey indicated that 69% of people rarely or never talk about investing, while 44% of those with savings but no investments would be interested to learn more. Previous FCA research found that around seven million adults hold over £10,000 in cash savings, potentially missing out on investment benefits. The New Financial think tank estimated that an additional £740 billion could flow into the UK economy if households increased their investment in shares and funds from 15% to a quarter of their financial assets.
The campaign is expected to be unveiled at the London Stock Exchange on Thursday, with a phased rollout starting on digital and social channels before expanding to television in the autumn. The exact dates for these phases have not been specified. How the campaign will measure its success or impact on investment attitudes is also unknown.
Creative elements include a character named 'Savvy the Squirrel', intended to appear on screens for several years, and 'savvy cabs' in Manchester this week where taxi passengers can chat with content creators and investors about money. Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby stated that with greater awareness of the benefits of investing, more people will be able to make informed decisions about how to make their savings work harder for them, leading to greater prosperity and financial resilience for households and strengthened domestic capital markets. Sasha Wiggins, chairwoman of the retail investing campaign and CEO of private bank and wealth management at Barclays, added that the UK has a strong savings culture but a significant investing gap with too many still feeling investing is not for them.
Further support includes 'Invest in Britain' hubs in development from several major investment platforms such as Barclays, though the specific hubs and their launch dates are not detailed. Investment performance data underscores the campaign's message: stocks and shares have significantly outperformed cash savings accounts in recent decades, with an average return of around nine percent over the last 10 years. According to some industry estimates, more than 29 million adults in the UK have cash in low-interest accounts offering about one percent. UK smaller companies have substantially outperformed larger peers over the last seven decades. Chris Cummings, chief executive of the Investment Association and deputy chairman of the campaign, noted that there is clear demand from millions of savers who want to do more with their money, but do not always feel confident about where to begin. Emma Crystal, chief executive of private banking & wealth management at NatWest Group, commented that thinking about investing alongside saving is increasingly shaping the broader discussion about long-term financial security, with saving remaining an important way to build confidence and resilience, particularly in the earlier stages of financial planning.