Good morning and welcome to your Morning Briefing for Wednesday 22 October 2025. To get this in your inbox every morning click here.
Quilter posts third straight quarter of £2bn inflows
Wealth manager Quilter has reported a third consecutive quarter of net inflows above £2bn, pushing total platform assets past the £100bn mark for the first time.
The latest results take year-to-date core inflows to £6.7bn, comfortably surpassing the full-year 2024 total of £5.2bn.
Group assets under management and administration rose 7% during the quarter to £134.8bn, boosted by £2.1bn in reported net inflows and positive market movements of £6.4bn.
Aberdeen hits £542bn as net inflows surge
Aberdeen Group’s total assets under management and administration reached £542.4bn at the end of September 2025, up 6% year-to-date, supported by strong inflows and positive market movements.
Interactive investor, the group’s direct-to-consumer platform, led the growth, with assets rising to £93bn and quarterly net inflows up 58% year-on-year to £1.9bn.
Total customers increased 14% to 492,000, reflecting both organic growth and the recent acquisition of Jarvis Investment Management’s retail book.
UK inflation holds at 3.8% for third month
UK inflation remained unchanged at 3.8% in September, marking the third consecutive month at the same level, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The figure came in below analysts’ expectations of 4%, as higher transport costs were offset by cheaper food and a slowdown in recreation and culture prices.
While the stable reading offers a small sigh of relief for Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of next month’s crucial Budget, experts caution that headline inflation remains stubbornly above the Bank of England’s 2% target.
Quote Of The Day
Ask any parent what they want for their children, and the answer is simple: health, happiness and financial security. But when it comes to money, that picture is becoming harder to achieve
-Alexandra Loydon, Group Advice Director at St. James’s Place, comments on a new study revealing that over 15 million UK parents fear their children may never be able to retire amid growing financial concerns for future generations.
Stat Attack
More than 15 million parents in the UK– fear their children will never be able to retire, as financial concerns for future generations mount, according to new research from St. James’s Place (SJP). Key findings:
36%
of parents worry their kids may never retire
40%
think homeownership is out of reach for the next generation
39%
expect to support children financially during their own retirement
31%
may delay retirement to help their kids
58%
say they’re the main influence on children’s money habits, ahead of schools (32%) and social media (28%).
Top worries: insufficient retirement savings (38%), stagnant wages (37%), AI impacting jobs (21%).
Source: SJP
In Other News
Capital One UK has teamed up with Money Wellness to offer customers showing early signs of financial stress free support, including debt advice, budgeting tools, and income maximisation guidance.
Customers can access a free Money Wellness financial health check to assess their situation and explore options such as debt solutions or benefits support. Capital One UK staff can connect customers directly via calls or appointments.
Sebrina McCullough, Money Wellness, said the partnership aims to help more people move toward financial stability, while Capital One’s John Birkbeck highlighted the collaboration strengthens trust and promotes long-term financial well-being.
The partnership builds on Money Wellness’s work with other financial institutions and its mission to support over one million people across the UK.
K3 Advisory, part of Isio, has led two full-scheme buy-ins with Aviva, covering around 600 deferred members and 1,200 pensioners, with an aggregate premium of £130m. Completed within six months of K3’s appointment, the transactions involved competitive engagement from eight insurers and focused on both pricing and member experience.
K3 continues to advise the Trustee on potential buyouts and additional transactions for the sponsor’s schemes, highlighting the importance of preparation, market engagement, and post-transaction support in achieving strong outcomes for members.
Rachel Reeves targets tax partnerships in crackdown on wealthy Britons (Financial Times)
Real living wage to rise by almost 7% in boost for low-paid UK workers (The Guardian)
China’s $1 billion of daily US exports show Xi’s bargaining power (Bloomberg)
Did You See?
Occasionally, there’s a moment in financial services when the wind shifts and regulators, government and industry all start pulling in the same direction. The discussion around targeted support feels like one of those rare times, writes Ruth Handcock, CEO of Octopus Money.
It’s worth celebrating, just as we celebrated the push for competition in banking a decade ago.
Moments like this matter because alignment creates courage, which is something our industry needs in spades.
While retail brands happily shout “buy, buy, buy”, we whisper “invest, invest, invest” behind closed doors, terrified of crossing the line between guidance and advice.
