Millions of people in the UK help someone else manage digital banking, but many are still doing so through arrangements the financial system was not really designed to support.
That problem is now being taken up by the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT), the industry body created after the Kalifa Review to tackle systemic challenges in financial services, and Project Nemo, a not-for-profit initiative focused on disability inclusion in fintech and financial services.
Their new Financial Inclusion Coalition, announced at Money20/20 Europe, will develop a Supported Payments framework for people who need help managing money but want to retain independence and control.
The work will initially focus on adults with a learning disability, looking at how trusted third parties could provide visibility, guidance and safeguards without forcing people into formal legal arrangements such as Lasting Power of Attorney or informal workarounds such as sharing cards, PINs or account credentials.
A gap between independence and protection
For many people, the difficulty is not simply access to digital banking, but how to manage everyday spending safely when some support is needed.
Project Nemo’s work with people with learning disabilities, families, carers, charities and financial services providers has highlighted a recurring problem. Formal legal routes can be disproportionate for daily payments, while informal arrangements can expose customers and firms to fraud, financial abuse, liability and a lack of clear oversight.
CFIT said 11 million UK adults, around 19.3%, already help someone with digital banking, suggesting the issue reaches well beyond one customer group.
The Supported Payments model is intended to create a safer middle ground. Rather than removing control from the individual, the framework would allow a trusted third party to provide support around payments while preserving the customer’s autonomy.
Coalition to explore trust and consent
The coalition’s first phase will focus on two workstreams.
The first will look at a trust and consent framework, including how people can appoint a trusted third party to support them with payments and money management. That work is expected to consider permissioning, safeguards, governance, liability, transparency, auditability and regulatory issues.
The second will focus on a proof of concept and pilot, potentially using Open Banking infrastructure and existing payment technologies to test supported payment journeys. The pilot would gather feedback from consumers, carers and supporters, while assessing operational feasibility for financial institutions.
CFIT said the aim is to develop practical solutions that can be implemented inclusively and at scale across the financial system.
Treasury backing
The initiative is funded by HM Treasury and follows the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, which recognised Project Nemo’s role in identifying barriers faced by people who need support with everyday spending.
Rachel Blake MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said: “Nobody should be locked out of the chance to build a better future, which is why CFIT’s work is vital in helping to support people manage their money.
“The Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy recognised the important contribution Project Nemo has made in highlighting how inclusive design can support greater financial independence, so that people can participate fully in the economy and manage their finances safely and confidently.”
Anna Wallace, CEO of CFIT, described the issue as “a systemic gap in the financial system”.
She said: “Today, too many people who need support managing money are forced to rely on unsafe and unscalable workarounds. By bringing together industry, regulators, government and lived experience, we have an opportunity to build practical supported payment solutions that can be implemented safely and consistently across the market.”
From Project Nemo to national coalition
Project Nemo launched at Money20/20 two years ago as a movement to improve disability inclusion across financial services. Since then, it has worked with major banks, fintechs, policymakers and people with lived experience, and won the Money20/20 Diamond Grand Prix in 2025.
Joanne Dewar, co-founder of Project Nemo, said the coalition marks the next stage of work that began with a push to move disability inclusion “from the margins to the mainstream of financial services innovation”.
She said Project Nemo’s films, research with Nationwide and a co-designed app by CI&T had helped show what the learning disability community was looking for from financial services.
“By combining Project Nemo’s community-led work with CFIT’s coalition delivery model and HM Treasury support, we now have an opportunity to unlock the sticking points to providing better solutions that can make a meaningful difference to people’s everyday lives and ensure that the future of financial services works for everyone,” Dewar said.
Although the first phase will focus on adults with a learning disability, the coalition expects the work to have wider relevance for people with dementia, fluctuating mental health conditions, acquired brain injuries, neurodivergence and other circumstances where additional support may be needed.
CFIT will hold a workshop on 18 June 2026 to gather views from industry, government, regulators, charities, consumer groups and people with lived experience. The coalition is expected to formally begin activity this summer.
