Aviva, Scottish Widows and Mintago have joined the coalition of potential dashboard operators that will collectively work with the UK government and regulators to help support the successful launch of dashboards for consumers.
The three firms join Just Group, Legal & General, Moneyhub and Standard Life who joined forces back in March to launch the Dashboard Operators Coalition (DOC).
Having originally agreed to work with the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) as a volunteer participant, Aviva has continued to advocate for Qualifying Pensions Dashboard Services (QPDSs) and the benefits they will bring to UK consumers.
Aviva will apply to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to become a regulated dashboard operator once the QPDS regulatory framework has been finalised and applications can be submitted.
In a statement, Scottish Widows said “we are in the ‘Connected 20s’, the decade when tech finally comes into its own to help people manage their day-to-day lives, including their money, savings and pensions”. It said that becoming an FCA regulated QPDS operator is a natural next step for Scottish Widows, giving customers more control and helping them find their lost pensions.
Mintago, a London-based fintech founded in 2019 with a team of 30 people, also aims to become a QPDS operator as soon as possible. It has received a £774,000 innovation loan from Innovate UK to enhance its technology platform which enables businesses to support their employees with their financial planning, alongside a comprehensive suite of financial wellbeing benefits.
Independent pensions dashboards consultant, and DOC chair, Richard Smith, said: “The sheer diversity of Aviva, Mintago and Scottish Widows as organisations demonstrates the wisdom of the government’s multiple dashboards policy. A diversity of dashboards, all regulated by FCA and showing the same pensions data, means consumers will be able to see all their pensions together in the place of their choosing. More access points means more engagement.”
Smith added that with the FCA’s consultation on QPDS Rules now closed, PDP’s resources bolstered as reported by the National Audit Office (NAO), and certainty from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that pensions data will start becoming digitally connected from April 2025, many more diverse firms are planning to offer customers a QPDS.
He said: “They’re all welcome to join the DOC to help launch great dashboards for consumers as soon as possible.”
Aviva’s director of workplace pensions, Emma Douglas, added that pension dashboards are set to help deliver a pensions revitalisation, now and for future generations.
She said: “Supporting our customers to ensure they get the retirement they deserve is paramount and expanding our digital service to include a holistic pension wealth view will help do just that.”
Douglas added that by joining the coalition and its like-minded dashboard operators, Aviva can collectively contribute to this “important development”. “Driving positive change for consumers is at the heart of the Coalition’s ethos,” she noted.
Scottish Widows workplace pensions director Graeme Bold added that dashboards are a “huge opportunity” for people to bring their pensions together to better plan for their future.
“We already see customers connecting their pensions via Open Finance in the Scottish Widows app, demonstrating there is demand for a dashboard that helps people see their savings in one place and better plan for their retirement,” he stated.
Mintago co-founder, chief operating officer and chief financial officer, Daniel Conti, said: “At Mintago, we are dedicated to integrating comprehensive financial planning into a core part of employee wellbeing benefits.”
Conti said that Mintago’s involvement as a QPDS operator represents a natural extension of its platform by offering individuals the ability to view their live pensions data as part of accessing their workplace benefits in a seamless and intuitive way, empowering them to make informed decisions about their financial future.
Read the digital edition of IPE’s latest magazine
No comments yet