Research Report

The UK's £3.5 Trillion Investor Education Gap

A comprehensive analysis of the UK financial education landscape, the structural investing deficit, and the strategy opportunity for a new kind of investor education platform.

February 2026 UK-focused with international comparisons Internal strategy document
8%
UK non-pension wealth
in equities (lowest G7)
33%
US non-pension wealth
in equities
22.5M
UK adults lacking pension
understanding
£678B
Gender investment gap
& widening

The Research

Two deliverables mapping the UK financial education landscape and the strategy to build something better.

Key Findings

The headline insights across both reports.

📉

Structural Investing Deficit

Only 8% of UK non-pension wealth is in equities — the lowest in the G7. Half sits in property. If allocation matched the US, £3.5 trillion would flow into capital markets.

⚖️

Regulatory Tightening

19,766 financial promotions amended or withdrawn in 2024 — up 97.5%. Twenty finfluencers interviewed under caution. The FCA is not messing about.

🏦

Pension Engagement Crisis

Auto-enrolment: 86% participation, but 99%+ remain in default funds. 22.5 million adults don't understand pensions enough to plan retirement.

🇬🇧

Creator Market Gap

Top UK finance creators: 100–180K subscribers. Top US creators: 3–5 million. The UK market is dramatically underserved relative to its wealth.

♀️

Widening Gender Gap

The Gender Investment Gap stands at £678 billion and grew by £54 billion in a single year. Men own 71% of all invested assets. Only 9% of women under 24 invest.

💰

Premium Monetisation

Finance is the highest-paying YouTube niche (RPM $10–$25). UK creators can earn £2,000–7,500 per sponsored video at 100K subscribers.

The UK vs. US Gap

How the UK compares to the US across key metrics.

Adults holding investments
UK 35%
US 62%
Non-pension wealth in equities
UK 8%
US 33%
Top finance creator (YouTube subscribers)
UK 180K
US 5.14M