FAQ - Inclusive Design Challenge 2026

How can I register my interest?

Send an email to UK Finance at UKF-InclusiveDesign@ukfinance.org.uk advising us of your interest by close of business on 26 February and providing your organisation name, main contact name, and their email address. Please use the following email subject title: Inclusive Design Mailing Database Registration. These details will be added to the Inclusive Design Mailing database, ensuring that your organisation receives future communications about the Inclusive Design Challenge (IDC) when they are made available.

All registrations received before the close of business on 26 February will receive the link to the Inclusive Design Challenge Submission Form on 2 March. Registrations received after this date will be sent the relevant information within five working days.

When will the submission window be open?

The IDC submission window will open on Monday 2 March 2026.

When does the submission window close?

The IDC submission window will close at 17.00 on Thursday 30 April 2026.

How will I know that the submission window has opened?

Organisations that have registered their interest (see How can I register my interest) in this initiative will receive an email from UK Finance on 2 March providing a link to the online submission form and guidance.

Where will we be able to find a link to the digital IDC Submission Form?

UK Finance will send an email including the link to the online IDC Submission Form on 2 March to all organisations who have registered their interest in advance.

If you have registered your details in the IDC Mailing Database but not received a link to the IDC Submission Form, please send UK Finance a Contact Us Enquiry request at UKF-InclusiveDesign@ukfinance.org.uk

Which organisations are eligible to participate in the Inclusive Design Challenge?

Submissions will be accepted from organisations with a demonstrable remit and a track record in supporting consumers who face barriers to accessing or using financial services. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Registered charities or not for profit organisations.
• Civil society or advocacy organisations representing a specific consumer group.
• Research or academic bodies working in partnership with a charity or not for profit organisation.
• Representative bodies supporting consumers (for example disability, safeguarding, mental capacity).

All submissions must be made on behalf of a recognised organisation and should reflect a collective rather than an individual perspective.

What Inclusive Design Challenges are you interested in?

UK Finance and the Inclusive Design Working Group are interested in financial inclusion opportunities relating to retail banking products and services, in particular:

• Customer groups that are not served well;
• Existing products, services, and customer journeys that do not work well; and
• Customer proposition gaps which need to be addressed.

What Inclusive Design Challenges are out of scope?

Inclusive design challenges related to the following are out of scope:

• General Insurance products/services are not in scope for the first submission window but will be in scope for the second Inclusive Design Challenge window – expected to be in Spring 2027.
• Community access to cash issues (including Post Office and Banking Hubs), which are addressed through the LINK Request Access to Cash Scheme and the Banking Framework Agreement.
• Pensions, Investments and Mortgages, as these are not within the scope of the HMT Financial Inclusion Strategy.
• Small and Medium sized enterprises, including sole traders, partnerships, charities, not for profit organisations and commercial banking products and services.
• A single financial services provider, including firm-specific system builds, internal policies, or bespoke operational arrangements.
• The Financial Education of Children and Young People as this is a national curriculum requirement and the responsibility of the Department for Education. Note - Issues relating to minors' ability to use a product or service can be raised through the Inclusive Design Challenge initiative.
• Challenges which primarily require legislative or regulatory change, are also out of scope as it would not be possible for the financial services sector to address these issues through voluntary industry action.

Is there a limit to the number of Inclusive Design Challenges that an organisation can submit?

No, eligible organisations can make multiple submissions. An IDC Submission Form should be completed for each proposal and they must meet the eligibility requirements and have the necessary information to be considered.

What support will be available for organisations that are considering developing an Inclusive Design Challenge submission?

Eligible organisations will be able to access support through the following support mechanisms:

• FAQs – provides responses to the immediate questions you may have.
• The Inclusive Design Challenge support webinar taking place on 27 February 11.00 - 12.00 will provide an opportunity for you to gain greater understanding of how the IDC process will work in practice and ask any questions. See 'How do I register for the Webinar?' for more information.
• Contact Us Enquiry – organisations can send us an email at UKF-InclusiveDesign@ukfinance.org.uk and we will aim to respond within five working days.
• Expression of Interest – from the 2 March 2026, organisations that are considering participating in the IDC, can request a bi-lateral discussion with UK Finance. See 'How does an organisation submit an Expression of Interest?' for further details.
• Submission Guidance – will be made available on 2 March, providing detailed information on scope, eligibility, evidence expectations, and how submissions will be reviewed.

How do I register for the Webinar?

Please use this IDC Webinar Registration link to register for the optional webinar.

Your registration request will be vetted to ensure you are from an eligible organisation. Individuals who do not work for an eligible organisation, will not be able to attend the webinar. UK Finance will confirm your registration via email.

How does an organisation submit an Expression of Interest?

Eligible organisations will have the opportunity to register for an optional pre-application Expression of Interest discussion with UK Finance. This enables you to discuss your ideas before committing to a full IDC submission.

To request a meeting please complete the Expression of Interest (EOI) Form.

The EOI Form will go live on Monday 2 March and once reviewed, organisations will be invited to a 30-minute bi-lateral conversation with a UK Finance colleague.

Should you require any reasonable adjustments for this meeting – please ensure that UK Finance is notified by completing the relevant section on the EOI Form.

Expression of Interest Bi-laterals are subject to availability and will be offered on a first come first served basis.

No guidance will be given at these meetings as to whether any subsequent IDC submission will be successful or not.

How will you assess IDC submissions?

Eligible submissions will be assessed by UK Finance and the Inclusive Design Working Group using a structured, assessment framework – which considers the following six criteria:

• Impact: The potential of the issue to cause exclusion, detriment or foreseeable harm and the opportunity/benefit created when this barrier is reduced or removed.
• Reach: The number or breadth of consumers potentially affected across the market (noting that 'market' here may be limited to/material to a specific devolved nation).
• Commonality: Whether the issue is observed across multiple firms or segments, suggesting industry-wide importance.
• Feasibility: Technical feasibility, operational complexity, ease of delivery across different firm types, ongoing legislative/regulatory change and cost-benefit analysis will be considered when determining whether the challenge can be recommended for voluntary industry action.
• Evidence strength: Quality, credibility and transparency of the data and lived-experience evidence provided, including how clearly the submission distinguishes between correlation and causation and acknowledges any gaps or limitations.
• Strategic / regulatory alignment: Fit with the Financial Inclusion Strategy, FCA Consumer Duty, FG21/1 guidance and other relevant regulations such as the Equality Act (2010) and Mental Capacity Act (2005).

Further details will be provided in the submission guidance which will be made available on the UK Finance website on 2 March.

What is the Inclusive Design Working Group?

The Inclusive Design Working Group convened by UK Finance is made up of:

• UK Finance Personal Finance members (i.e. financial services firms)
• The Association of British Insurers
• Representatives of the UK Finance Consumer Strategic Advisory Group
• HM Treasury; and
• The Financial Conduct Authority.

The Inclusive Design Working Group was established to deliver the inclusive design commitments UK Finance made on behalf of its members within the HMT Financial Inclusion Strategy.

When will we find out the result of the assessment?

UK Finance will acknowledge receipt of the IDC submission and contact participating organisations once all proposals have been assessed.

UK Finance will inform you of the outcome of the assessment by 31 August 2026.

How can I keep up to date with developments?

The IDC web page will be updated as new information becomes available.

Is this a one-off opportunity?

No, this initial IDC submission window is a pilot which aims to test the initiative, assessment processes, and communications.

Announcements about opportunities to participate in future Inclusive Design Challenge submission windows will be communicated once the dates have been agreed. It is anticipated that a second window will be opened in Spring 2027 - providing an opportunity for general insurance challenges to be submitted for the first time.

How will our personal data be managed?

UK Finance will add the name of participating organisations to the UK Finance Inclusive Design Challenge Mailing Database unless you tell us not to.

UK Finance will retain submission data for process, audit, and evaluation purposes according to our internal data retention protocols.

UK Finance will be minimising the personal data it requests to contact details (name, email, and organisation) and any accessibility needs.

UK Finance would ask that any case studies or quotes from individuals with lived experience are anonymised.

If you would like to opt-out of any further communications, please contact us at InclusiveDesignOpt-Out@ukfinance.org.uk

For further information about the processing of your personal data at UK Finance, please refer to our Privacy notice | UK Finance.