Speech by Nikhil Rathi, FCA chief executive, at the JP Morgan Pensions and Savings Symposium 2026. Last year, I spoke about the importance of getting on the right track.That if we want better consumer outcomes – as well as stronger capital markets to support growth – we need to think beyond individual products and look at the whole financial journey.How pensions interact with housing wealth…How savings interact with advice…And how all these decisions evolve across a lifetime.Over the past year, we have made good progress.Targeted Support goes live next month, helping bridge the gap between generic guidance and regulated advice.The ABI says this could be ‘one of the most significant engagement shifts in pensions since auto-enrolment’.And with 75% of DC pension holders over 45 having no clear plan for taking their money at retirement, a big opportunity to help secure better outcomes at lower cost.For those wanting more personalised advice, we will be proposing next week to simplify rules – expanding access for consumers while reducing complexity for firms.Then there’s work on later life lending and pension transfers – which I will speak more on later.Alongside lending our support to the industry-led retail investment campaign going live shortly, and continuing work with the Investment Association and industry on making risk information more effective.So, a huge amount both delivered and underway, working closely with the Pensions Regulator, Government, and others.And it’s encouraging to see the level of attention pensions are receiving across the political system.But today I want to focus on how technology is changing the foundational context in which we are having this pensions debate.As technology makes people much more aware of – and able to act on – their financial wealth, what happens next?And is our pensions system ready for the potential demand and behavioural shifts that follow?
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