ROAR Insights Members

Published by: The Money Charity Search for original: Link Key Take Aways UK consumer debt has increased significantly, with total personal debt reaching £1,903.3 billion in May 2025, highlighting heightened credit utilisation among households. The average credit card debt per household is £2,616, with outstanding unsecured debt contributing to ongoing financial vulnerability. Changes in interest rates, including the Bank of England’s reduction of the base rate to 4.25%, have not yet translated into a reduction in high borrowing costs, especially… Read more

Published by: The Financial Conduct Authority Search for original: Link Key Take Aways Customers in vulnerable circumstances, especially with multiple traits, tend to experience worse outcomes, highlighting the need for tailored engagement strategies. Disclosure barriers persist, with only 40% of consumers in vulnerable circumstances voluntarily sharing their needs; communication about benefits of disclosure could improve this. Positive customer outcomes are strongly linked to tailored, personal support that demonstrates genuine care, fostering trust and better communication. Negative experiences, often characterised by standardised interactions… Read more

Published by: Financial Conduct Authority Search for original: Link Key Take Aways The FCA’s strategy to 2030 focuses on deepening trust, rebalancing risk, supporting growth, and improving lives across the financial sector. Increasing trust requires regulators to operate more efficiently, predictably, and proportionally, fostering fair competition and swift accountability. The strategy promotes a shift in risk attitude, encouraging informed risk-taking to drive innovation, growth, and market dynamism. Rebalancing risk aims to unlock growth opportunities while balancing regulatory, firm, and consumer… Read more

Published by: Octopus Group Search for original: Link Key Take Aways Octopus Group demonstrates a long-term, purpose-driven approach to business, prioritising societal impact alongside financial returns. The company’s ownership is primarily employee-owned (18%) and founder-controlled (45%), reflecting a strong internal stakeholder engagement model. Octopus maintains its commitment to being a private, non-public organisation, facilitating long-term strategic planning without short-term pressure. A significant emphasis is placed on responsible business practices, evidenced by their status as a B Corporation since 2021 and… Read more

Published by: Scientific American Search for original: Link Key Take Aways Understanding cognitive biases—such as trust in in-group sources, confirmation bias, and social conformity—is essential for recognising how social media and algorithms exploit these vulnerabilities. Digital platforms amplify innate biases through personalised content curation, reinforcing echo chambers, polarisation, and misinformation. Limited attention span among users leads to a winner-takes-all virality pattern, where most information remains unnoticed, and a few pieces dominate spread regardless of intrinsic quality. Social media algorithms prioritise… Read more

Published by: Ofcom Search for original: Link Key Take Aways Digital exclusion remains significant, with approximately 5% of UK households (around 2.5 million people) lacking home internet access, despite a marked decline since 2019. The highest demographic risk for non-internet access is individuals aged 85+, with those aged 75-84 also notably impacted, indicating the need for targeted inclusion strategies. Breakdowns show that social housing renters constitute a considerable proportion of those without internet at home, highlighting housing tenure as a… Read more