Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products and services are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms, and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience.

Access to credit tends to be based on financial history. The X1 card is hoping to change that with access dependent on earnings, rather than credit score. With the pandemic leaving many worried that missed payments will impact their financial health, providers offering flexibility are likely to resonate.

Gig-economy workers and the self-employed face unique financial difficulties, from building a credit score to finding flexible insurance. But how are a growing number of financial technology solutions – delivered by big banks and challengers alike – serving the needs of a growing demographic?

Although businesses and the government have implemented a range of measures to fight COVID-19, Britons continue to perceive high levels of risk around the virus. How is this impacting their travel, spending, and health decisions? And what can brands do to provide some peace of mind?

COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of people’s lives and a looming recession means the worst may yet be in store. Having grown up in the wake of the 2008 crash, Gen Zers are already alert to financial precarity, but how will coming of age during a pandemic shape their relationship with money?