Good morning and welcome to your Morning Briefing for Monday 20 October 2025. To get this in your inbox every morning click here.
Pension sector joins forces to fund investment drive
Twenty of the UK’s largest pension providers and insurers are joining forces under a new initiative to channel billions into regional housing, infrastructure and business investment across the country.
The group, known as the Sterling 20, will be launched at the government’s first regional investment summit in Birmingham on Tuesday (21 October) as part of efforts to drive growth in every part of the UK.
L&G commits £2bn to boost UK regional growth
Legal & General has announced a £2bn impact investment commitment by 2030 to support regional growth and regeneration across the UK.
The investment will be deployed into productive assets including infrastructure, affordable housing and urban regeneration, supporting the government’s ambition to boost growth across all regions.
L&G said the programme will help deliver around 10,000 new social and affordable homes and support the creation of 24,000 jobs nationwide.
BlackRock brings Bitcoin exposure to UK retail investors
BlackRock has listed its iShares Bitcoin ETP on the London Stock Exchange, giving UK retail investors access to bitcoin exposure through traditional trading accounts for the first time.
The exchange traded product is 100% physically backed by bitcoin held directly via Coinbase, removing the need for investors to manage private keys or digital wallets.
BlackRock said the launch responds to growing UK demand for cryptocurrency, with investor participation rising at an annualised rate of 12% since 2022.
Quote Of The Day
Investors should not ignore the canary in the coalmine, with gold at these levels it is signalling a warning that all is not well in global markets
– Emma Wall, chief investment strategist at Hargreaves Lansdown, on the continued rise of gold amid current market volatility
Stat Attack
New research from Insignis, the cash management platform, shows that savers are holding cash as a deliberate part of their financial planning rather than out of fear of the stock market. The study found that
53%
of respondents cited approaching or being in retirement as the main reason for holding cash, aiming to reduce exposure to market volatility. Only
11%
said their cash holdings were due to a lack of investment knowledge. More than
27%
hold over
75%
of their savings in cash. With
£300bn
now held in cash Isas, the findings suggest cash remains a central part of how people manage their money.
Source: Insignis
In Other News
MT Finance Group has strengthened its recently launched commercial division with the appointment of Nick Grant as its head of commercial underwriting.
Bringing over 20 years of financial services experience, Grant has held diverse roles in different financial institutions, with a strong track record in improving team performance and delivering results.
He has 17 years of sector experience working across, buy-to-let, bridging and commercial underwriting.
This strategic appointment reinforces MT Finance’s commitment to strengthening its commercial offering and position as a leading specialist lender.
Blaming the OBR for the Budget maths is a waste of time (Financial Times)
Emerging market stocks at four-year high as trade frictions ease (Bloomberg)
Housing secretary says ‘job on the line’ over 1.5m housing target (BBC)
Did You See?
Dealing with a US taxpayer is largely like dealing with any client: they need good financial planning and advice. In terms of tax wrappers, they have the same needs as any other client: retirement planning for their pensions, as well as ISAs and GIAs for other investments, writes Ben Lester, head of distribution at Morningstar Wealth.
There are a few different reporting requirements that need to be met, but luckily, these are often handled by outsourced investment managers and platforms, which takes the burden of complicated US reporting and exchanges with the IRS away from the adviser.
Read the full article here.
