Royal London remains the most recommended personal pension among UK advisers in the first half of 2026, while industry warns of a skills gap in artificial intelligence threatening responsible adoption in financial services.
Royal London remained the most recommended personal pension among advisers in the first half of 2026, according to Defaqto, with Aviva and Quilter keeping second and third place. The three providers, together with Prudential’s Retirement Account, accounted for a large share of personal pension recommendations made through Defaqto Engage, a platform used by more than 30% of UK advisers. Defaqto’s latest analysis suggests advisers continue to place the greatest weight on financial strength, followed by product functionality and features such as online access and flexi-access drawdown.
The picture was similar across the wider pension market, with Defaqto’s separate review showing that the Royal London Pension Portfolio was again the most recommended personal pension product, while Aviva led in the self-invested personal pension market. The data also points to a fairly settled advice market, with the same top providers retaining their positions and the most-used selection criteria changing little from last year.
In a separate warning, the Chartered Insurance Institute said firms risk moving into artificial intelligence faster than staff can properly assess it. The professional body said a critical AI fluency gap across insurance and personal finance could weaken governance and undermine responsible use of the technology. The warning comes amid broader signs that businesses are still struggling to translate interest in AI into confident day-to-day use. CompTIA research cited by industry publications found that while most professionals use AI tools at least several times a month, fewer than one-third say they understand the technology well.
The CII’s report follows discussions with chartered firms, technology companies, academics and other professional bodies in June. That concern echoes broader UK findings. Research commissioned to support the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan found that skills shortages were the biggest barrier to adoption for many firms, with only a minority already using AI and most still lacking active plans to roll it out.
Elsewhere, Stonebridge said it had revamped its protection sourcing and advice process after more than 4,000 hours of development and testing. The mortgage and protection network said the changes to its Revolution platform were designed to let advisers use existing client data more effectively and adjust cover to fit a customer’s budget. Fidelity International, meanwhile, has teamed up with ZeroKey to cut down on manual rekeying between systems, while AJ Bell Investments has appointed Michael Sawh as senior portfolio manager as it prepares to lower charges on part of its model portfolio service from October.
A separate survey from Scottish Friendly found that almost one in five UK adults do not have a long-term financial goal, with the figure rising to nearly one in three among lower earners. The mutual said the results underline the need to help people build confidence and purpose around saving and investing, especially younger families and those on lower incomes.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
