Financial Inclusion Strategy

Treasury Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 28 Nov 2025 Closed: 31 Jul 2026 Parliament page
The Treasury Committee will examine the Government's recently published Financial Inclusion Strategy, which sets out plans to improve access to financial products and services across of the UK. The inquiry will examine whether the Financial Inclusion Strategy identifies and addresses the key barriers to inclusion, and whether its objectives, resources, … Read more
3 Recommendations
9 Conclusions
1 Report
4 Oral sessions
12 Letters
5 Events
Activity timeline 18 events
14 Jul
2026
Report published
7 Jul
2026
Formal meeting (private meeting) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
24 Jun
2026
Correspondence
24 Jun
2026
Correspondence
24 Jun
2026
Correspondence
24 Jun
2026
Correspondence
9 Jun
2026
Oral evidence
13 May
2026
Correspondence
13 May
2026
Correspondence
13 May
2026
Correspondence
13 May
2026
Correspondence
13 May
2026
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
9 Jun 2026
View on parliament.uk
Oral evidence
Alanna Barber · HM Treasury Dan Rusbridge · HM Treasury Rachel Blake MP · HM Treasury Sarah Pritchard · Financial Conduct Authority
25 Mar 2026
View on parliament.uk
Oral evidence
Dr Emma Stone · Good Things Foundation Helen Undy · Money and Mental Health Policy Institute Kate Pender · Fair4All Finance Michelle Highman · The Money Charity
4 Mar 2026
View on parliament.uk
Oral evidence
Alison Rayner · Allianz UK Hannah Gurga · Association of British Insurers Jasjyot Singh OBE · Lloyds Banking Group Nici Audhlam-Gardiner · Foresters Financial Stephen Noakes · Nationwide
3 Feb 2026
View on parliament.uk
Financial Inclusion Strategy
Dr Eleni Karagiannaki · London School of Economics and Political Science Mick McAteer · Financial Inclusion and Markets Centre Professor Abdelhafid Benamraoui · University of Westminster Sian Williams · Financial Inclusion Commission
Title HC No. Published Items Response
2nd Report – Financial Inclusion Strategy HC 13 14 Jul 2026 12 Pending
Recommendations & Conclusions
12 results
1 Conclusion
2nd Report – Financial Inclusion S…
The publication of the Financial Inclusion Strategy is welcome.
The publication of the Financial Inclusion Strategy is welcome. It identifies many of the areas in which people experience financial exclusion. Informed witnesses broadly supported those areas of focus. Unlike HM Treasury’s 2004 publication, however, the Strategy does not yet … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
2 Conclusion
2nd Report – Financial Inclusion S…
HM Treasury should, within six months, publish a fuller quantitative analysis of the scale, causes...
HM Treasury should, within six months, publish a fuller quantitative analysis of the scale, causes and distribution of financial exclusion in the UK. Drawing on existing sources, including the FCA’s Financial Lives Survey, this should identify who is excluded, where … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
3 Conclusion
2nd Report – Financial Inclusion S…
We welcome the government’s commitment to review progress against the Strategy at the two-year mark.
We welcome the government’s commitment to review progress against the Strategy at the two-year mark. However, a two-year review without published baselines and milestones will not inform Parliament to judge whether the Strategy is on track. Reporting that working groups … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
4 Conclusion
2nd Report – Financial Inclusion S…
The Economic Secretary told us that she was responsible for delivery of the Strategy and...
The Economic Secretary told us that she was responsible for delivery of the Strategy and would be happy to discuss its progress with the Treasury Committee. Although we would welcome such updates, they cannot substitute for a published implementation and … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
5 Conclusion
2nd Report – Financial Inclusion S…
HM Treasury must publish within six months an implementation and accountability framework for the Financial...
HM Treasury must publish within six months an implementation and accountability framework for the Financial Inclusion Strategy. Before publication, HM Treasury must agree with the Treasury Committee the core information to be included. The framework should include baselines, measurable targets, … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
6 Conclusion
2nd Report – Financial Inclusion S…
HM Treasury and the FCA should also develop proportionate firm-level financial inclusion metrics.
HM Treasury and the FCA should also develop proportionate firm-level financial inclusion metrics. These should focus on the largest providers and on markets where exclusion causes the greatest consumer harm, such as contents insurance, affordable credit and access to basic … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
7 Conclusion
2nd Report – Financial Inclusion S…
Voluntary action and pilots can help test solutions, but they cannot be the main driver...
Voluntary action and pilots can help test solutions, but they cannot be the main driver of a national financial inclusion strategy unless there are clear routes to scale and clear consequences if voluntary action fails. This is especially important where … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
8 Conclusion
2nd Report – Financial Inclusion S…
The government may be right to begin with partnerships pilots and working groups, but it...
The government may be right to begin with partnerships pilots and working groups, but it should be clear from the outset what would count as insufficient progress and what further action it would then take. It should not wait until … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
9 Recommendation
2nd Report – Financial Inclusion S…
Where delivery depends on voluntary industry action, HM Treasury should set out clear triggers for...
Where delivery depends on voluntary industry action, HM Treasury should set out clear triggers for further intervention. It should also explain what evidence or level of consumer harm would be needed before existing reserve powers, including those on access to … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
10 Recommendation
2nd Report – Financial Inclusion S…
HM Treasury should publish a pilot-to-scale plan for the Financial Inclusion Strategy in the next...
HM Treasury should publish a pilot-to-scale plan for the Financial Inclusion Strategy in the next six months. For each pilot, working group or exploratory programme, this should set out success criteria, evaluation methods, funding routes, decision points and the action … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
11 Conclusion
2nd Report – Financial Inclusion S…
The government rightly included consumer and lived-experience voices in the development of the Strategy.
The government rightly included consumer and lived-experience voices in the development of the Strategy. However, the process did not sufficiently guard against industry voices carrying greater influence, particularly in sub-committees and implementation discussions. Evidence that the main Committee met only … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
12 Recommendation
2nd Report – Financial Inclusion S…
HM Treasury should strengthen the governance of the Financial Inclusion Committee, its sub-committees and any...
HM Treasury should strengthen the governance of the Financial Inclusion Committee, its sub-committees and any implementation groups. For sub- committees and implementation groups, HM Treasury should publish membership, terms of reference and meeting frequency. It should ensure that consumer, civil … Read more
HM Treasury
View details
Correspondence 12 letters
24 Jun 2026 Correspondence from Chair to the FCA on follow-up to Financial Inclusion session, dated 10 June 2026
Parliament page
24 Jun 2026 Correspondence from Chair to Economic Secretary to the Treasury on follow-up to Financial Inclusion session, dated 10 June 2026
Parliament page
24 Jun 2026 Correspondence from Economic Secretary to the Treasury on follow-up to Financial Inclusion session, dated 22 June 2026
Parliament page
24 Jun 2026 Correspondence from the FCA to the Treasury on follow-up to Financial Inclusion session, dated 22 June 2026
Parliament page
13 May 2026 Correspondence from Nationwide on the Financial Inclusion Strategy evidence session follow-up, dated 20 March 2026
Parliament page
13 May 2026 Correspondence to Lloyds Banking Group on the Financial Inclusion Strategy evidence session follow-up, dated 4 March 2026
Parliament page
13 May 2026 Correspondence to Nationwide on the Financial Inclusion Strategy evidence session follow-up, dated 4 March 2026
Parliament page
13 May 2026 Correspondence to the ABI on the Financial Inclusion Strategy evidence session follow-up, dated 4 March 2026
Parliament page
13 May 2026 Correspondence from the ABI on the Financial Inclusion Strategy evidence session follow-up, dated 14 April 2026
Parliament page
13 May 2026 Correspondence from Lloyds Banking Group on the Financial Inclusion Strategy evidence session follow-up, dated 15 April 2026
Parliament page
15 Apr 2026 To committee Joint letter from Registry Trust Ltd, StepChange Debt Charity, and Surviving Economic Abuse in follow-up to Financial Inclusion Strategy inquiry, dated 17 March 2026
Parliament page
10 Mar 2026 Correspondence from the Economic Secretary to the Treasury on changes to the Financial Inclusion Committee, dated 4 March 2026
Parliament page