Fair 4 All Finance(F4AF): Priorities for Additional Dormant Assets Funding

F4AF have published their consultation looking for ideas and suggestions in designing new funding programmes and workstreams. This consultation runs until 5pm on Friday 30 January 2026.

The Credit Union Transformation fund will be consulted on separately in Q1 2026

Background

The Government has confirmed additional dormant assets funding of £132.5 million for Fair4All Finance to advance financial inclusion. With the publication of the Financial Inclusion Strategy, Fair4All Finance is consulting stakeholders on how these additional funds could best be allocated to drive long-term systemic change.

Why This Matters

This consultation is an opportunity for organisations across the financial inclusion sector to influence how future funding is directed. The aim is to design initiatives that deliver long-term, sustainable benefits for people in financially vulnerable circumstances.

Context

• 20.3 million people in the UK face financial vulnerability
• Many lack access to affordable credit, insurance, and savings
• Fair4All Finance’s mission is to increase financial resilience and wellbeing by expanding fair and accessible financial products and services

Funding Scope

The additional dormant assets funding applies to England. UK-wide organisations may be eligible if proposed activity focuses specifically on England.

Themes for Feedback

F4AF have invited responses on the following areas:

1. Research & Knowledge Gaps

1. • What data gaps in financial inclusion should targeted research address?
   • How can lived experience inform policy, product design, and evaluation?
2. Benefitting Financially Vulnerable Groups
   • How can equity, diversity, and inclusion be embedded in investment and programme design?
   • Which groups or life transitions should be prioritised to have greatest impact on financial resilience?
   • Learnings from local initiatives that could be scaled to build and improve financial resilience
3. Supporting Innovation
   • What support (funding, partnerships, technical expertise) would accelerate innovation in financial products and services for people in financially vulnerable circumstances?
   • Barriers preventing providers from serving excluded markets
4. Access to Insurance
   • How to reduce the protection gap and scale affordable insurance
5. Problem Debt – New Approaches
   • Radical ideas to complement existing debt advice and improve outcomes such as a cash transfer scheme or debt jubilee concept (forgiving or wiping debts)
6. Access to Banking, Digital Inclusion & Payments
   • Innovations to improve inclusion for those reliant on cash or facing digital exclusion
7. Savings
   • Solutions to help low-income households save and build resilience
   • How to best support credit unions and others to deliver savings auto-enrolment solutions

Open Question

What else should be considered to achieve lasting systems change for financial inclusion?

Next Steps

Responses will help shape future funding programmes.

ABCUL welcomes any thoughts or feedback to help shape our response to F4AF. Please reach out to the advocacy team at advocacy@abcul.org if you wish to provide feedback.