Good morning and welcome to your Morning Briefing for Monday 6 October 2025. To get this in your inbox every morning click here.
Standard Life unveils ‘affordable’ pensions advice service focused on underserved consumers
Standard Life has launched a new affordable pensions savings advice service for customers.
The Standard Life Financial Advice, aims to help those who would not “usually consider paid advice gain access to the support they need when saving and deciding how to take their pension income.”
Royal London expands sustainable fund range
Royal London has announced the launch of three additional sustainable funds.
The RLS Sustainable Growth, RLS Sustainable Short Duration Corporate Bond, and RLS Global Sustainable Credit funds are available via the Royal London Isa and Royal London pension offerings.
Targeted support – the missing piece in the UK’s pensions puzzle
As we approach the end of an eventful year for pensions, it feels as though the system is on the cusp of a series of significant steps forward, writes Altus Consulting insights director Robert Holford.
A new Pensions Commission will soon examine the long-term design of retirement provision. The Mansion House Accord is pushing providers to channel more assets into productive finance. And the Pension Schemes Bill, currently before Parliament, will enshrine a DC value-for-money regime, accelerate consolidation, and reshape decumulation with guided retirement pathways.
Together, these initiatives outline a bold new pensions settlement. However, the picture will remain incomplete unless we address the chronic under-engagement of savers.
As the FCA launches its further consultation on handbook changes to ensure targeted support is effective, it is worth reflecting on the scale of its potential to reshape pension engagement.
Quote Of The Day
Oil prices moved higher in early trading after OPEC+ stuck to a cautious playbook, agreeing to a modest 137,000 barrel per day output hike for November
– Hargreaves Lansdown senior equity analyst Matt Britzman on the movement of oil prices
Stat Attack
Research from Capital Group analyses the dividends of the world’s largest companies, to see how global dividends have performed in H1 2025.
7.7%
the amount global dividends rose in H1 2025 YoY to a record $1.14trn.
6.2%
increase in core dividend growth in H1 YoY.
9.2%
growth of core dividend in the financial sector YoY to a record $299bn.
92%
of British companies either increased their dividends or held them steady in H1, despite slower growth.
3.8%
dividend growth in UK compared to 7.7% global average.
Source: Capital Group
In Other News
Titan Wealth has announced it will become Harlequins exclusive wealth management partner as well as its dedicated women’s partner.
Harlequins is a professional rugby union club that plays in Premiership Rugby, the top level of English rugby union.
Titan Wealth will serve as the women’s exclusive shirt sponsor this season, with its logo appearing on the back of Harlequins Women’s matchday shirts.
The partnership will also include additional pitch side branding at The Stoop (the home stadium of the Harlequins) for all fixtures across both teams throughout the season.
The partnership is built on a shared commitment to empowerment, opportunity, and long-term success both on and off the pitch.
Titan Wealth will play a pivotal role in supporting Harlequins players and staff through two key strands of its “Life after Rugby” initiative. The first is the Academy Programme, which offers a structured career transition pathway into the wealth management industry, with a particular focus on former professional athletes. This includes comprehensive training, industry-recognised qualifications, and personalised mentorship to help individuals build successful careers beyond sport.
The second strand focuses on financial education and coaching, providing players and staff with access to tailored programmes on financial planning and money management.
Bitcoin hits all-time high above $125,000 (Reuters)
Japanese stocks soar and yen tumbles after Sanae Takaichi wins ruling party race (Financial Times)
EU starts pumping excess cash into Europe’s bond repo market (Bloomberg)
Did You See?
Index tracking funds saw their biggest ever monthly outflows (£387m) in August 2025, following a 22-month inflow streak.
This is according to Investment Association (IA) data, which also shows outflows of £1.1bn from fixed income trackers which helped to drive the first outflows experienced for trackers since October 2023 as a whole.
Also, UK retail investors withdrew a net £1.8bn from funds in August, a substantial jump from July’s £277m.
Equity funds dominated outflows with £2bn withdrawn.
August recorded the highest equity outflows since January, with equity funds accounting for the majority of redemptions.
Both Japanese and European equity funds also experienced £272m and £15m in redemptions.
