Today the FCA published its near-final rules for Targeted Support, a new regulated
service designed to help consumers make better decisions about pensions and retail
investments.
This is a landmark shift in how support is delivered across the industry, and one that
aligns closely with Amplifi’s mission to make complex financial information clear,
engaging and actionable.
Targeted Support is not full holistic financial advice in the traditional sense. There’s
no deep, individual assessment of every consumer’s circumstances, but that’s the
point. It sits between general guidance and bespoke advice, giving consumers
suggestions tailored to groups with shared characteristics. For example, if someone
is under-saving for retirement or holding excessive cash in low-interest accounts,
firms will be able to suggest appropriate courses of action.
From April 6, 2026, the new regime is expected to go live, subject to necessary
legislation and FCA permissions. Firms can start applying for permission via the
FCA’s authorisations gateway from March 2026 onwards, and preliminary
registrations before that.
For consumers, the promise of Targeted Support is simple but powerful:
For too long consumers who can’t access full, paid-for advice (or who have chosen
not to) have relied on informal, unregulated sources, such as family members or
social media, for financial guidance. Targeted Support provides a clear, regulated
framework that defines what firms can offer, how they communicate and the
standards they must meet. The support will be directly aimed at cohorts of
consumers who share a common issue – such as under-investment.
Rules alone aren’t enough, Targeted Support must be informative but also engaging.
The FCA has jointly published guidance with partners like the Financial Ombudsman
Service and the Information Commissioner’s Office to clarify how firms can communicate under existing direct marketing rules. How information is presented will matter just as much as what information is conveyed.
We know from consumer behaviour research that too much jargon, complexity or
ambiguity leads to inaction. These new rules aim for communications that help
consumers act, not just inform them. The focus is on clarity, relevance and next
steps, meaning consumers can make timely, confident decisions.
To achieve these goals, the new forms of advice will largely be digital, giving firms a
way to serve common advice at scale, and at a low cost. It must also be engaging.
And most of all it must be intelligible, and in line with the Consumer Duty.
To help firms achieve this, Amplified Global is already working with partners to
develop a guided, intelligible solution that we will deploy in 2026.
The FCA’s emphasis on a continuum of help, from guidance to simplified advice to
full advice. This means Targeted Support won’t operate in isolation. It will be part of
a broader ecosystem designed to close the “advice gap” for the millions who are
underserved today.
For firms, there’s a real opportunity here. By building support services that meet both regulatory expectations and consumer needs for simplicity and usefulness, financial institutions can drive better engagement, trust and outcomes. And for consumers, this could be the nudge they need to get proactive about their financial futures.
Contact us find out more about the Amplifi Targeted Support solution.